WO2023152012A1

WO2023152012A1 - Electrical connector part for a charging system for charging an electric vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2023152012A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/052498
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Führer; Robert Babezki
Original assignee: Phoenix Contact E-Mobility Gmbh
Priority date: 2022-02-11
Filing date: 2023-02-02
Publication date: 2023-08-17
Also published as: BE1030266A1; BE1030266B1

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical connector part (3) for a charging system for charging an electric vehicle (4), said electrical connector part comprising: a plug-in portion (301) for plug-in connection to a mating electrical connector part (5); at least one electrical plug-in contact (31A, 31B), located on the plug-in section (301), for transmitting a charging current; and at least one busbar (32A, 32B) which is electrically connected to the at least one plug-in contact (31A, 31B) and can be connected to a load line (21A, 21B) and has a surface portion (322) extending two-dimensionally along a plane (P). A cooling unit (33) has a housing (33) located on the surface portion (322) and a chamber arrangement (332), located in the housing (33), for conducting a coolant flow (F), wherein the chamber arrangement (332) comprises a plurality of chambers (335-1... 335-11) that are fluidically connected to one another, and at least some of the chambers (335-1... 335-11) are designed to conduct a coolant flow (F) along a flow direction (S) perpendicular to the plane (P).

Description

Connector part for a charging system for charging an electric vehicle

The invention relates to a connector part for a charging system for charging an electric vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1 and a charging system for charging an electric vehicle.

A connector part of this type comprises a plug-in section for plugging connection to a mating connector part, at least one plug-in contact arranged on the plug-in section for transmitting a charging current and at least one busbar which is electrically connected to the at least one plug-in contact and can be connected to a load line, which has a surface section extending flat along a plane .

Such a connector part can be designed as a charging plug or charging socket and can be arranged on a charging cable on the side of a charging station or on an electric vehicle. A charging plug arranged on a charging cable can be connected to a charging socket in order in this way to establish an electrical connection between a charging station and the electric vehicle and to charge the electric vehicle electrically.

In the field of electromobility, it is desirable to charge electric vehicles quickly and efficiently in order to reduce charging times and the associated break-in times. In order to enable rapid charging of an electric vehicle as part of a rapid charging process, high charging capacities are used, combined with large charging currents, for example with a current of 700 A or even more. Current levels of up to 3000 A are even conceivable for charging commercial vehicles.

When large charging currents are transmitted, the contact elements and other components of the connector part heat up. It is stipulated here that heating of a connector part must not exceed 50 K. If large charging currents are used, care must therefore be taken to ensure that the connector part does not heat up excessively.

The arrangement and dimensioning of electrical contact elements on connector parts for charging an electric vehicle is usually prescribed by standards. Contact geometries can therefore not be easily scaled to such connector parts to possibly a greater current carrying capacity at the to reach contact elements. One challenge is therefore to enable the greatest possible power transmission with existing contact geometries.

In principle, it is possible to increase the current-carrying capacity, for example on a charging cable and a charging plug connected to the charging cable, by increasing the cross section of the current-carrying load lines. However, because a charging cable has to be handled manually by a user, there are limits to the increase in the cross section of the load lines and the associated increase in weight on the charging cable.

One way to improve the current-carrying capacity on the charging cable, on the charging plug and also on the charging socket is to provide active cooling on the current-carrying components, in particular on the charging cable and on the charging plug connected to the charging cable. If water or a water mixture is used as the cooling medium (e.g. using antifreeze components), care must be taken to ensure that the cooling medium does not come into contact with live components. If water comes into contact with components carrying DC current, there is a risk that the water will be electrolytically decomposed, which could lead to damage to the components. In addition, contact of water with live components must always be avoided to avoid an electrical safety risk.

In a charging plug known from EP 3 103 173 B1, a cooling unit, through which a flow of coolant can flow, is arranged between busbar components. In this case, a flow channel is defined in a housing of the cooling unit, which flow channel is designed to guide the coolant flow tangentially along the busbar components.

In a connector part known from DE 10 2016 107 409 A1, a flow of coolant flows through heat sinks. The heat sinks are connected to associated contact elements via thermal lines in order to absorb heat at the contact elements via the thermal lines.

The object of the present invention is to provide a connector part that enables active cooling of current-carrying components in a cost-effective manner, with efficient heat absorption at the current-carrying components and reliable electrical insulation of a coolant flow from the current-carrying components. This object is solved by an object with the features of claim 1.

Accordingly, the connector part has a cooling unit, which has a housing arranged on the surface section and a chamber arrangement arranged in the housing for conducting a flow of coolant. The chamber assembly includes a plurality of chambers in fluid communication with one another. At least some of the chambers are configured to direct coolant flow along a flow direction perpendicular to the plane.

The cooling unit comprises a housing in which chambers are formed, through which a flow of coolant is conducted during operation for absorbing heat on the busbar connected to the plug contact. The housing of the cooling unit is arranged on the surface section of the busbar so that the flow of coolant is conducted through the housing and thereby on the surface section and heat can thus be absorbed in a favorable manner on the surface section of the busbar. The heat can be transported away via the coolant flow and the busbar and thus the electrical contact connected to the busbar can be actively cooled.

The housing is arranged on the surface portion of the bus bar. In this case, the housing is preferably fastened to the surface section, for example glued or screwed to the surface section.

The housing is preferably made of an electrically insulating material, in particular a plastic material. In contrast, the conductor rail with the surface section formed thereon consists of a material with good electrical conductivity, in particular a metal material, for example a copper material.

The coolant flow is directed via the chamber arrangement in such a way that it flows through at least some of the chambers along a flow direction perpendicular to the plane of the surface section. Through some of the chambers, the flow of coolant is thus directed in the direction of flow towards the surface section and thus strikes the surface section perpendicularly. By contrast, the flow of coolant is directed away from the surface section counter to the direction of flow through other chambers. Because the coolant flow is directed perpendicularly onto the surface section, it can be achieved that heat is absorbed at the surface section with a good heat transfer coefficient and thus with great effectiveness of the cooling, in particular in comparison to a coolant flow directed tangentially (parallel) to the surface section. The plane can be extended flat. However, the plane can also be curved, so that the surface section of the busbar has a curved shape. For example, the busbar can be cylindrical in shape and the surface section can correspond to a wall section of the cylindrical busbar.

In one embodiment, the housing is open on a side facing the surface section. The chambers on the side facing the surface section are thus openly facing the surface section, so that a flow of coolant flowing through the chambers is conducted on the surface section without an intervening housing wall and heat can thus be absorbed efficiently on the surface section.

If an electrically non-conductive fluid, for example an oil-based cooling medium, is used as the cooling medium, then no special precautions need to be taken to electrically insulate the cooling medium from the surface section. In this case, a seal can be arranged between the housing and the surface section in order to prevent the cooling medium from escaping between the housing and the surface section.

If, on the other hand, water or another electrically conductive fluid is used as the cooling medium, it must be ensured that the surface section is electrically insulated from the cooling medium.

In one configuration, this can be achieved, for example, in that an electrically insulating separating layer is arranged on the surface section, via which electrical insulation is produced between the surface section and the cooling medium in the housing. The separating layer covers the surface section of the busbar in such a way that the surface section is arranged on a first side of the separating layer, while the flow of coolant flows on a second side of the separating layer in the housing. The flow of coolant is in contact with the separating layer, so that the separating layer as a (direct) intermediate layer separates the flow of coolant from the surface section.

The release liner is in contact with the surface portion on the first side. In contrast, the flow of coolant flows on the second side of the separating layer. Heat can thus be transferred from the surface section into the flow of coolant via the separating layer and can thus be absorbed and dissipated by the flow of coolant. Because the separating layer can be made thin, the thermal resistance of the separating layer can be kept low in this way, so that heat can be efficiently absorbed and dissipated by the coolant flow from the surface section of the bus bar.

The separating layer can be formed, for example, by a plastic film, in particular a film made of a high-performance plastic, for example a material containing polyimide, in particular polysuccinimide (PSI), polybismaleimide (PBMI), polyimide sulfone (PISO) or polymethacrylimide (PMI), or a similarly efficient plastic material . The plastic film is preferably non-meltable (at the temperatures occurring during operation of the connector part when used as intended) and provides electrical insulation with high dielectric strength even with a small film thickness.

For example, the plastic film can have a thickness equal to or less than 0.1 mm, preferably equal to or less than 0.07 mm, more preferably equal to or less than 0.03 mm. The fact that the separating layer has a small thickness (wall thickness) results in a low thermal resistance at the separating layer, so that heat can be efficiently absorbed at the busbar and dissipated via the cooling unit.

The plastic film, in particular when it is made of a polyimide material, should have a high, permanent dielectric strength with regard to the electrical potential between the power contact and the coolant flow. The surface-normalized thermal resistance of the separating layer corresponds to the quotient of the thickness (wall thickness) of the separating layer and the specific thermal conductivity of the separating layer. Thus, in order to minimize the thermal resistance, the wall thickness should be small and/or the thermal conductivity should be large. Due to the fact that the thickness (wall thickness) can be very small when the separating layer is made of a plastic film, especially when it is made of a polyimide material, the thermal resistance at the separating layer can be increased even if the specific thermal conductivity of the separating layer is only average, for example in a range from 0 .4 W/(mK), to be small.

The separating layer formed by a plastic film can, for example, be glued or connected in some other way to the surface section of the conductor rail in order to ensure a flat, tight covering of the surface section by the separating layer. The separating layer can have additional functional layers arranged on the plastic film, for example vapor coatings, in order to adapt heat transfer and/or the dielectric strength to the intended use.

In one configuration, the separating layer can be formed by a heat-conducting element that is made of a material that is different from the material of the housing. The housing can be made of a plastic material, for example. In contrast, the heat-conducting element is made of a material that is different from the plastic material of the housing, for example a material containing silicone rubber.

Silicone rubber refers to elastomers consisting of silicone polymer chains with alternately arranged, alternating oxygen and silicon atoms, i.e. -Si-O-Si- bonds (siloxane bonds). They are therefore also called polyorganosiloxanes.

If the separating layer is formed by a heat-conducting element (which extends over a surface), the heat-conducting element can, for example, have a thickness equal to or less than 1 mm, preferably equal to or less than 0.5 mm. Such a separating layer formed by a thermally conductive element can have a high specific thermal conductivity, for example up to 5 W/(mK). Such a heat-conducting element can therefore have a low thermal transition resistance despite a comparatively large wall thickness.

The heat-conducting element covers the surface section of the busbar over a large area and is glued to the surface section, for example.

In one configuration, the separating layer can be formed, for example, by an electrically insulating coating on the surface section, for example by lacquering or flocking on the surface section.

The housing is arranged on the surface section of the conductor rail, for example screwed to the housing. In this case, the separating layer can assume an intermediate position between the housing and the surface section. In order to produce a fluid-tight transition between the housing and the separating layer, a seal, for example, can be arranged between the housing and the separating layer, for example a circumferential seal on a side of the housing facing the surface section, which seals between the housing and the separating layer creates a fluid-tight transition against leakage of the cooling medium. If the surface section of the busbar is flat, the separating layer for covering the surface section is also flat. If, on the other hand, the surface section is curved, then the separating layer is also curved. If the surface section is cylindrical, the separating layer can extend, for example as a tube section, inside the surface section or outside around the surface section.

Advantageously, the chamber arrangement is designed to guide the flow of coolant meandering in the flow direction towards the surface section and away from the surface section counter to the flow direction. The flow of coolant thus flows perpendicularly towards the surface section and also perpendicularly away from the surface section. Due to the fact that the coolant flow is directed perpendicularly onto the surface section at several points, heat can be distributed over the surface of the surface section and absorbed by the busbar and thus dissipated from the busbar in a favorable, efficient manner.

If the connector part has two plug contacts, in particular for transmitting a charging current in the form of a direct current, which are each connected to a busbar, the housing can be arranged, for example, between the surface sections and meander the flow of coolant back and forth between the surface sections. The flow of coolant is thus directed perpendicularly onto the surface sections of the busbars and can thus efficiently absorb heat at the surface sections.

In one configuration, a first chamber of the chamber arrangement is designed to direct the flow of coolant in the direction of flow towards the surface section. The first chamber can have a first flow cross section, for example. A first inflow channel, for example in the direction of flow, is connected to the first chamber and serves to guide the flow of coolant from the first chamber in the direction of flow towards the surface section. The first inflow channel preferably has a flow cross section that is reduced compared to the flow cross section of the first chamber, so that the coolant flow in the inflow channel with a reduced flow cross section and thus increased flow speed is directed towards the surface section of the busbar and meets the surface section of the busbar perpendicularly.

In one embodiment, a second chamber that is in flow connection with the first chamber is designed to direct the flow of coolant away from the surface section counter to the direction of flow. The second chamber is downstream of the first chamber arranged and thus receives the coolant flow from the first chamber. The second chamber directs the flow of coolant away from the surface section of the busbar, for example towards a surface section of an adjacent busbar assigned to another plug contact.

In this case, a second inflow channel can be connected to the second chamber, which is used to direct the coolant flow from the second chamber counter to the direction of flow, for example perpendicularly to the surface section of the adjacent busbar. The second inflow channel can also have a reduced flow cross section. The flow cross section of the second chamber can, for example, correspond to the flow cross section of the first chamber. In contrast, the second inflow channel has a reduced flow cross section, which corresponds, for example, to the flow cross section of the first inflow channel.

A third chamber may be in flow communication with the second chamber in a downstream direction and is adapted to direct the coolant flow (again) in the flow direction toward the surface portion of the bus bar. A third inflow channel can connect to the third chamber in the direction of flow, which directs the flow of coolant with a reduced flow cross section perpendicularly along the direction of flow towards the surface section.

Further chambers can be connected to the third chamber, which are arranged in relation to one another and are in flow connection with one another in such a way that the coolant flow is directed in a meandering manner towards the surface section and away from the surface section, so that the coolant flow hits the surface section perpendicularly at several points and thus heats up can be accommodated on the surface section in a favorable, efficient manner.

The surface section extends along a plane that is spanned by a longitudinal direction and a vertical direction. A transverse direction, which corresponds to a surface normal of the plane, is directed perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction and the vertical direction. The chambers of the chamber arrangement can be offset from one another overall along the longitudinal direction and/or along the height direction and/or along the transverse direction, with the chambers together forming a flow channel which preferably meanders the coolant flow perpendicularly towards the surface section and also perpendicularly away from the surface section again directs. In one embodiment, the chambers are arranged on two levels. A first arrangement of chambers can be arranged distributed relative to one another along a first vertical plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. A second arrangement of chambers, on the other hand, can be arranged distributed relative to one another along a second vertical plane perpendicular to the vertical direction and spaced apart from the first vertical plane. In the height-staggered arrangement of the chambers, the coolant flow is guided in a meandering manner. If the flow of coolant has flowed through the chambers of one level, the flow of coolant enters the chambers of the other level and is again guided in a meandering manner through these chambers.

A connection for connecting a coolant line can be assigned to each arrangement of chambers. In particular, the first arrangement of chambers can have a first port for initiating the flow of coolant and the second arrangement of chambers can have a second port for diverting the flow of coolant.

The connections can each be connectable to a coolant hose, the coolant hoses being routed, for example, in a charging cable connected to the connector part and also carrying the load lines. The connector part can be connected to a charging station, for example, via the charging cable.

In one embodiment, the connector part has two electrical plug contacts and two busbars, each connected to one of the plug contacts and each having a surface section. In this case, the cooling unit is arranged between the surface sections of the busbars. The housing of the cooling unit is connected to the surface sections, for example glued or screwed to the surface sections. A meandering coolant flow is preferably directed back and forth between the surface sections via the chamber arrangement in the housing of the cooling unit, so that the coolant flow is alternately directed perpendicularly to one surface section and the other surface section and flows back and forth between the surface sections. Heat can thus be efficiently absorbed at both surface sections and dissipated from the surface sections.

A charging system for charging an electric vehicle includes a connector part of the type described above. Such a charging system also includes a mating connector part that can be plugged into the connector part. The connector part can, for example, realize a charging plug that is arranged on a charging cable. In contrast, the mating connector part can, for example be arranged as a charging socket on the electric vehicle and can be connected to the connector part in the form of the charging plug. The charging plug can be connected to a charging station via the charging cable, for example, so that when the connector part and the mating connector part are in the connected position, charging currents can be transmitted from the charging station to the electric vehicle.

However, it is also conceivable that the connector part implements a charging socket on the part of an electric vehicle.

A connector part of the type described here can be used in particular for transmitting charging currents in the form of direct currents. However, such a connector part can also be used to transmit charging currents in the form of alternating currents.

The idea on which the invention is based is to be explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures. Show it:

1 shows a view of a charging station with a charging cable arranged thereon for connection to an electric vehicle;

2 shows a view of an exemplary embodiment of a connector part in the form of a charging plug;

3A is a view of the connector part without a housing;

FIG. 3B shows another view of the arrangement according to FIG. 3A;

4A shows an arrangement of plug contacts of the plug connector part, with a cooling unit arranged between busbars of the plug contacts;

FIG. 4B shows another view of the arrangement according to FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5A shows a side view of the arrangement according to FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5B shows a plan view of the arrangement according to FIG. 4A;

FIG. 6A is an exploded view of the assembly of FIG. 4A; 6B shows the exploded view from a different perspective;

FIG. 7A shows a partially cut-away view of the arrangement according to FIG. 4A;

FIG. 7B shows another view of the arrangement according to FIG. 7A;

Fig. 8A is a sectional view taken along line I-I of Fig. 7B;

Fig. 8B is a sectional view taken along line II-II of Fig. 7B;

FIG. 8C shows an enlarged view of section A according to FIG. 8A; FIG.

FIG. 9 is a view of the assembly of FIG. 5B showing coolant flow through the cooling unit;

10A is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the sectional view of FIG. 8A showing coolant flow through chambers of a chamber assembly of the refrigeration unit; and

10B is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the assembly of FIG. 8B showing coolant flow through chambers of the chamber assembly of the refrigeration unit.

1 shows a charging system comprising a charging station 1, which is used to charge an electrically driven vehicle 4, also referred to as an electric vehicle. The charging station 1 is designed to provide a charging current in the form of an alternating current or a direct current and has a cable 2 which is connected to the charging station 1 at one end 201 and to a connector part 3 in the form of a charging plug at the other end 200 connected is.

As can be seen from the enlarged view according to FIG. 2, the connector part 3 has plug-in sections 300, 301 on a housing 30, with which the connector part 3 can be brought into engagement with an associated mating connector part 5 in the form of a charging socket on the vehicle 4. In this way, the charging station 1 can be electrically connected to the vehicle 4 in order to transmit charging currents from the charging station 1 to the vehicle 4 . In order to enable the electric vehicle 4 to be charged quickly, for example as part of a so-called rapid charging process, the charging currents transmitted have a high current intensity, for example greater than 500 A, possibly even of the order of 700 A or more. Due to such high charging currents, thermal losses occur on the cable 2 and also on the charging plug 3 and the charging socket 5, which can lead to the cable 2, the charging plug 3 and the charging socket 5 heating up.

Permissible heating of components of the charging system is limited by standards, for example to a maximum value of 50 K. It follows that measures must be taken to prevent excessive heating during charging, especially when large currents, for example in the order of magnitude of 700 A or more.

In the connector part 3 in the form of the charging connector according to FIG. 2, plug-in contacts are arranged on the upper plug-in section 300 on plug domes 302, which serve, for example, to transmit control signals or as a grounding contact (connected to a grounding line 22, see FIG. 3B). In contrast, plug-in contacts 31A, 31B are arranged on plug domes 303 on the lower plug-in section 301, which plug contacts serve as load contacts for transmitting a charging current in the form of a direct current. When plugged into the associated mating connector part 5 in the form of the charging socket on the side of the electric vehicle 4, the plug contacts 31 A, 31 B come into electrical contact with associated mating contact elements on the side of the charging socket 5, so that a charging current can be transmitted from the charging station 1 to the electric vehicle 4 .

In the illustrated connector part 3 in the form of the charging plug, active cooling is provided in order to absorb and dissipate heat, particularly in the area of the plug contacts 31A, 31B carrying the charging current, in order to limit the heating of the connector part 3 in this way.

As can be seen from Fig. 3A, 3B to 6A, 6B, in the illustrated embodiment of the connector part 3, each plug contact 31A, 31B is assigned a busbar 32A, 32B, via which the respective plug contacts 31A, 31B are connected to a Arrangement of two load lines 21 A, 21 B is connected.

Each plug-in contact 31A, 31B has a contact section 310 in the form of a socket, via which a plug-in connection can be made with an associated mating contact element in the form of a contact pin of the mating connector part 5 . at one At the end facing away from the contact section 310, the plug contact 31A, 31 B is connected to an associated, flange-shaped end 321 of the associated busbar 32A, 32B, so that the respective plug contact 31 A, 31 B is mechanically fixed to the bus bar 32A, 32B and electrically connected to the bus bar 32A, 32B is contacted.

At an end 320 remote from end 321, each bus bar 32A, 32B is connected to an array of load lines 21A, 21B. Each busbar 32A, 32B is connected to two load lines 21A, 21B, which are thus connected together to the associated plug contact 31A, 31B and carry a charging current in the form of a direct current via the plug contacts 31A, 31B.

The load lines 21A, 21B are routed together in the charging cable 2 connected to the connector part 3 and enclosed in a cable jacket 20 of the charging cable 2 (see, for example, FIGS. 3A, 3B).

A cooling unit 33 is arranged between the busbars 32A, 32B and serves to absorb and dissipate heat on the busbars 32A, 32B. Each busbar 32A, 32B has a surface section 322 that extends over a flat area. The surface sections 322 of the busbars 32A, 32B extend parallel to one another and are each firmly connected to a housing 330 of the cooling unit 33 via screw connections, so that the busbars 32A, 32B are mechanically fixed to one another via the cooling unit 33 .

The housing 330 of the cooling unit 33 is made of an electrically insulating plastic material.

A chamber arrangement 332 is formed in the housing 330 to provide cooling, as can be seen from Figs. 6A, 6B in conjunction with Figs. 7A, 7B, via which a flow of coolant through the housing 330 and at the surface portions 322 of the bus bars 32A , 32B can be routed.

As can be seen from FIGS. 6A, 6B, the housing 330 is open on the sides facing the surface sections 322 of the busbars 32A, 32B, so that the housing 330 extends the chambers formed in the housing 30 towards the surface sections 322 of the busbars 32A, 32B not locked. However, a separating layer 331 A, 331 B in the form of a plastic film made of a polyimide material is arranged on each side between the housing 330 and the surface sections 322 of the busbars 32A, 32B, which forms an intermediate layer between the housing 330 and the surface section 322 on the respective Side of the housing 330 occupies and thus separates the chamber arrangement inside the housing 330 from the surface portion 322.

The separating layer 331A, 331B consists of an electrically insulating material. The cooling medium inside the cooling unit 33 is thus electrically isolated from the respective busbar 32A, 32B via the separating layer 331A, 331B. A circumferential seal 333 on each side of the housing 330 ensures that coolant cannot escape from the interior of the housing 330 and come into electrical contact with the respective busbar 32A, 32B.

Coolant lines 23, 24 are connected to the cooling unit 33 and are routed in the charging cable 2 together with the load lines 21A, 21B. A first coolant line 23 is connected to a first connection 334 . A second coolant line 24 is connected to an offset port 338 on the same side of the housing 330 (see in particular Figure 6B).

Chamber assembly 332 within housing 330 consists of a plurality of fluidly connected chambers which direct coolant flow through cooling unit 33 between ports 334,338. The chambers of the chamber arrangement 332 are arranged relative to one another such that a meandering flow of coolant is set, which is conducted back and forth in a meandering manner between the surface sections 322 of the busbars 32A, 32B and can thus absorb heat on the busbars 32A, 32B.

The surface sections 322 of the busbars 32A, 32B each extend along a plane P spanned by a longitudinal direction X and a vertical direction Z (see Fig. 10A, 10B), with the surface sections 322 of the busbars 32A, 32B extending parallel to one another and along a transverse direction Y are spaced from each other.

Two arrangements of chambers are formed in the housing 330, which are located at different height positions (viewed along the height direction Z) and are each assigned to one of the connections 334, 338. Connection 334 serves as an inflow for introducing a coolant flow into the at the level of connection 334 located array of chambers (in Fig. 6B corresponding to the upper array of chambers within the housing 330). Port 338, on the other hand, serves as a drain for diverting coolant flow from the array of chambers located at the level of port 338 (corresponding to the lower array of chambers within housing 330 in FIG. 6B).

Figs. 8A and 8B show cross-sectional views taken along lines I-I and II-II of Fig. 7B. The cross-sectional views represent sections through the upper, first array of chambers associated with port 334, through which a flow of coolant flows after being introduced via port 334 to then enter the lower array of chambers and through the lower array of chambers to the To flow to port 338 and to be drained via port 338.

The enlarged representation according to FIG. 8C shows that the chambers of the chamber arrangement 332 are each open towards the surface sections 322 of the busbars 32A, 32B, but are separated from the surface section 322 of the busbar 32A via the respectively assigned separating layer 331A, 331B , 32B are separated and thus electrically isolated. The circumferential seal 333 seals the housing 330 in a fluid-tight manner at the transition to the separating layer 331A, 331B, so that coolant cannot flow out of the interior of the housing 330 at the transition to the separating layer 331A, 331B.

FIG. 9 shows the basic coolant flow F that occurs when the coolant is conducted through the chamber arrangement 332 inside the housing 330 of the cooling unit 33 . It can be seen in particular that the coolant flow F is routed in a meandering manner between the surface sections 322 of the busbars 32A, 32B and is thus alternately routed perpendicularly to the surface section 322 of one busbar 32A and then perpendicularly to the surface section 322 of the other busbar 32B. The flow of coolant F thus meets alternately perpendicularly on one busbar 32A and on the other busbar 32B. As a result of this flow against the busbars 32A, 32B, good heat transfer can be established between the coolant flow F and the surface sections 322 of the busbars 32A, 32B, and heat can therefore be efficiently absorbed on the busbars 32A, 32B.

The coolant flow F, as shown in principle in FIG. 9, is set by the chambers of the chamber arrangement 332 inside the housing 330. In this case, the chambers are in flow connection with one another and, starting from the connection 334 , flows through them one after the other, the chambers thus being connected to one another and to one another are arranged such that a meandering flow of coolant F, as shown in FIG. 9, results.

Referring now to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the coolant flow F flows from the connection 334 first into a chamber 335-1 and is directed in the chamber 335-1 in a flow direction S towards the surface section 322 of the 10A) to then pass through a flow orifice 336-1 into an underlying chamber 335-2 and flow through chamber 335-2 in the opposite direction to the other bus bar 32B (FIG. 10B). On the side of the other busbar 32A, the coolant flow F flows through a flow opening 336-2 into a chamber 335-3 located above the chamber 335-2 (FIG. 10A) and out of this chamber 335-3 into an adjacent one along the longitudinal direction X chamber

335-4 to flow in.

While the chambers 335-1 ... 335-3 serve to initiate the coolant flow F from the port 334, a plurality of pairs of chambers 335-4, 335-5; 335-6, 335-7; 335-8, 335-9; 335-10, 335-11 (along the longitudinal direction X) lined up next to one another, which are each arranged and formed mirror-inverted to one another (with respect to a plane of symmetry located centrally between the surface sections 322 of the busbars 32A, 32B) and are serially in fluid communication with one another.

Starting from the chamber 335-3, the coolant flow F flows through a flow opening

336-3 (FIG. 10A) into the chamber 335-4 and is guided in the chamber 335-4 along the direction of flow S towards the surface section 322 of the busbar 32A. At a middle wall 339 of the housing 330, the coolant flow F flows into an inflow channel 337-1, which connects to the chamber 335-4 in the direction of flow S and directs the coolant flow F with a reduced flow cross section perpendicularly onto the surface section 322 of the busbar 32A, such as this can be seen from Fig. 10B.

In particular, the chamber 335-4 has a flow cross section Q1, which is reduced to a flow cross section Q2 in the inflow channel 337-1. This leads to an increase in the flow speed in the inflow channel 337 - 1 , so that the coolant flow F hits the surface section 322 of the busbar 32A perpendicularly at an increased flow speed.

The coolant flow F flows out of the inflow channel 337-1 into the chamber 335-5 and passes out of the chamber 335-5 via a flow opening 336-4 (FIG. 10A) into the chamber chamber 335-6 adjacent to the longitudinal direction X. In the chamber 335-6, the coolant flow F is now directed to the other busbar 32B, the coolant flow F flowing at the middle wall 339 into an inflow channel 337-2 adjoining the chamber 335-6 and thus via the inflow channel 337-2 again with a reduced flow cross-section and thus with an increased flow speed is directed perpendicularly onto the surface section 322 of the conductor rail 32B.

The coolant flow F flows from the inflow channel 337-2 into the adjoining chamber 335-7 and through the flow opening 336-5 into the adjacent chamber 335-8 along the longitudinal direction X, in which the coolant flow F is in turn directed to the conductor rail 32A and through the adjoining inflow channel 337-3 hits the conductor rail 32A perpendicularly. Via the adjoining chamber 335-9, the flow opening 336-6, the chamber 335-

10 and the inflow channel 337-4, the coolant flow F is then directed back to the busbar 32B.

The coolant flow F exits the inflow channel 337-4 (Fig. 10A) into the last chamber 335-

11 of the arrangement of chambers at this level. A flow opening 336-7 is formed at the bottom of this chamber 335-11, via which the coolant flow F is now directed into the arrangement of chambers below, in order to flow back meandering through the chambers of this lower level and derived via the connection 338 become.

The arrangement of the chambers 335-1 . . . 335-11 creates a flow channel which guides the coolant flow F in a meandering manner back and forth between the surface sections 322 of the busbars 32A, 32B. Because the coolant flow F is alternately conducted perpendicularly to one busbar 32A and the other busbar 32B, heat can be efficiently absorbed and dissipated at the busbars 32A, 32B with a good heat transfer coefficient.

Reliable electrical insulation between the cooling unit 33 and the busbars 32A, 32B is also achieved by the separating layers 331A, 331B between the housing 330 and the surface sections 322 of the busbars 32A, 32B. Because the separating layers 331A, 331B, formed for example by a thin plastic film each, can be made thin, the separating layers 331A, 331B advantageously do not significantly impair the heat transfer at the busbars 32A, 32B. The idea on which the invention is based is not limited to the preceding exemplary embodiments, but can also be implemented in a different way.

A connector part of the type in question can implement a charging plug, for example on a charging cable, or a charging socket, for example on the part of an electric vehicle.

Such a connector part can be used in particular to transmit a charging current in the form of a direct current. However, it is also conceivable that the connector part is designed to transmit a charging current in the form of an alternating current.

Active cooling can be provided on one plug contact or on several plug contacts.

A busbar can be designed as a separate component for a plug contact, but it can also be formed integrally with the plug contact and thus be realized by a section of the plug contact.

The surface section of the bus bar can be extended flat. However, the surface section can also be curved. The separating layer for the insulation is flat or curved in accordance with the planar covering of the surface section of the busbar.

Reference List

charging station

2 charging cables

20 cable jacket

200, 201 end

21A, 21B load line

22 ground wire

23, 24 coolant hose

3 charging plugs

30 housing

300, 301 mating section

302, 303 socket

31A, 31B plug contact

310 contact section

311 end

32A, 32B power rail

320, 321 end

322 surface section

33 cooling unit

330 case

331 A, 331 B separating layer (foil)

332 chamber arrangement

333 seal

334 inflow

335-1...335-11 Chamber

336-1...336-7 flow opening

337-1...337-4 inflow channel

338 drain

339 wall

4 vehicle

5 charging socket

E insertion direction

F coolant flow

P level

Q1, Q2 flow cross-section

S flow direction X Longitudinal

Y transverse direction

Z height direction

Claims

patent claims

1. Connector part (3) for a charging system for charging an electric vehicle (4), with a plug-in section (301) for plugging connection to a mating connector part (5), at least one electrical plug-in contact (31 A, 31 B) arranged on the plug-in section (301). ) for transmitting a charging current and at least one busbar (32A, 32B) which is electrically connected to the at least one plug contact (31 A, 31 B) and can be connected to a load line (21 A, 21 B), which has a surface area along a plane (P) has an extended surface section (322), characterized by a cooling unit (33) which has a housing (33) arranged on the surface section (322) and a chamber arrangement (332) arranged in the housing (33) for conducting a coolant flow (F), wherein the chamber arrangement (332) comprises a plurality of chambers (335-1...335-11) in fluid communication with one another and at least some of the chambers (335-1...335-11) are formed, a coolant flow (F) along a flow direction (S) perpendicular to the plane (P).

2. Connector part (3) according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing (330) on a surface portion (322) facing side is open.

3. Connector part (3) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by an electrically insulating separating layer (331 A, 331 B) arranged between the housing (330) and the surface section (322).

4. Connector part (3) according to claim 3, characterized in that the separating layer (331 A, 331 B) is formed by a plastic film.

5. Connector part (3) according to claim 4, characterized in that the plastic film is made of a material containing polyimide.

6. connector part (3) according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the separating layer has a thickness equal to or less than 0.1 mm, preferably equal to or less than 0.07 mm.

7. Connector part (3) according to claim 3, characterized in that the separating layer (331 A, 331 B) is formed by a heat-conducting element which is made of a different material from the material of the housing (33).

8. connector part (3) according to claim 7, characterized in that the heat conducting element is made of a material containing silicone rubber.

9. connector part (3) according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the heat conducting element has a thickness equal to or less than 1 mm, preferably equal to or less than 0.5 mm.

10. Connector part (3) according to one of Claims 3 to 9, characterized in that the cooling unit (33) has a seal (333) arranged between the housing (330) and the separating layer (331 A, 331 B).

11 . Connector part (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chamber arrangement (332) is designed so that the coolant flow (F) meanders in the direction of flow (S) towards the surface section (322) and counter to the direction of flow (S) from the To guide surface portion (322) away.

12. Connector part (3) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a first chamber (335-4) is designed to direct the coolant flow (F) in the flow direction (S) to the surface section (322).

13. Connector part (3) according to claim 12, characterized in that the first chamber (335-4) has a first inflow channel (337-1) for conducting the coolant flow (F) from the first chamber (335-4) in the direction of flow (S) towards the surface section (322), the first inflow channel (337-1) having a flow cross section (Q2) that is reduced compared to a flow cross section (Q1) of the first chamber (335-4).

14. Connector part (3) according to Claim 12 or 13, characterized in that a second chamber (335-6) which is in flow communication with the first chamber (335-4) is designed to direct the flow of coolant (F) against the direction of flow (S ) away from the surface portion (322).

15. Connector part (3) according to claim 14, characterized in that to the second chamber (335-6) a second inflow channel (337-2) for conducting the coolant flow (F) from the second chamber (335-6) against the flow direction (S) connects, wherein the second inflow channel (337-2) has a flow cross section (Q2) that is reduced compared to a flow cross section (Q1) of the second chamber (335-6).

16. Connector part (3) according to Claim 14 or 15, characterized in that a third chamber (335-8) which is in flow communication with the second chamber (335-6) is designed to direct the flow of coolant (F) in the direction of flow (S ) towards the surface section (322).

17. Connector part (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plane is spanned by a longitudinal direction (X) and a height direction (Z) and perpendicular to a transverse direction (Y), wherein at least some of the chambers (335- 1...335-11) are offset from one another along the longitudinal direction (X) and/or along the vertical direction (Z) and/or along the transverse direction (Y).

18 connector part (3) according to claim 17, characterized in that a first arrangement of chambers (335-1 ... 335-11) along a height direction (Z) perpendicular to the vertical, first vertical plane is distributed to each other and a second arrangement of Chambers (335-1...335-11) are distributed along a second height plane perpendicular to the height direction (Z) and spaced apart from the first height plane.

19. Connector part (3) according to claim 18, characterized in that the first arrangement of chambers (335-1 ... 335-11) has a first connection (334) for introducing the coolant flow (F) and the second arrangement of chambers ( 335-1...335-11) have a second connection (338) for diverting the coolant flow (F).

20. Connector part (3) according to claim 19, characterized in that the first connection (334) and the second connection (338) can each be connected to a coolant hose (23, 24).

21. Connector part (3) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connector part (3) has two electrical plug contacts (31A, 31B) and two each with one of the plug contacts (31A, 31B) connected, each having a surface section ( 322) having busbars (32A, 32B), wherein the Cooling unit (33) between the surface portions (322) of the busbars (32A, 32B) is arranged. Charging system for charging an electric vehicle (4), with a connector part (3) according to one of the preceding claims.