Connection socket for a controller

Abstract

The present invention relates to a connection socket for a controller. The connection socket has a holding body formed of electrical insulation. The connection socket has at least one or more electrical contacts. The contacts are arranged, in particular held, in a through-hole extending along a longitudinal axis of the holding body. The through-hole forms a cavity adjacent to an external opening of the through-hole at least in an outwardly directed end section, such that a mating contact can be inserted into the cavity through the opening and can be in electrical contact with the contact, in particular the contact located inside. The through-hole has a recess extending radially outward from the longitudinal axis in the region of at least the opening edge for engaging a protruding region, such that the mating contact received in the end section of the through-hole is positively fixed to prevent rotational movement about the longitudinal axis.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connection socket for a controller, in particular for an inverter for an electric motor. The connection socket has a holding body formed with electrical insulation. The connection socket has at least one or more electrical contacts. The contacts are arranged, in particular held, in a through-hole extending along a longitudinal axis of the holding body. The through-hole forms a cavity adjacent to an outer opening of the through-hole at least in an outwardly directed end section, such that a mating contact can be inserted into the cavity through the opening and can be in electrical contact with, in particular, an inner contact. The through-hole has recesses extending radially outward from the longitudinal axis at least in the region of the opening edge for engaging a raised area, such that the mating contact received in the end section of the through-hole is positively fixed to prevent rotational movement about the longitudinal axis. Background Art

[0002] For an electric vehicle having an electric drive device, in particular an electric axle, where the controller is a component of the drive device, the controller may be subject to contamination caused by moisture, splashing water or transmission oil if the controller can also be arranged near the transmission of the drive device. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, an electrical connection between the contacts of the connection socket of the type mentioned at the beginning and the mating contacts can advantageously be formed in a cavity surrounded by the connection socket. In addition, the mating contacts can advantageously be fixed against accidental loosening by a form-fit that prevents rotational movement about the longitudinal axis of the mating contacts and the electrical connection thus formed.

[0004] Advantageously, the controller, in particular the inverter, can be contacted with low impedance and dielectric sealing. The electrical connection for supplying power to the controller or the phase connection to the electric motor guided by the contacts of the connection socket can thus be formed in a space-saving, low-impedance and contamination-proof manner by an anti-twist device inside and a contact part inside. An electric motor having a controller as a component of the electric motor can thus advantageously be reliably operated if dirt or oil for lubricating the moving parts of the electric motor, especially transmission oil, does not reach the controller.

[0005] Preferably, the connection socket has a flat front panel in which at least one opening facing the cavity is formed, and the recesses are formed in the cavity. The anti-twist protection can thus advantageously be formed in a space-saving manner by recesses formed inside the connection socket.

[0006] Preferably, the contacts and / or the mating contacts are made of copper, in particular pure copper or copper alloy. Thereby, the electrical contact between the contact pairs can be advantageously formed with low impedance.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the cavity has an angularly configured cross-section that extends along the end section all the way to the opening. Preferably, the cross-section is configured as a polygon, in particular at least a triangle, quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon or octagon. The mating contact can thus advantageously and cost-effectively be produced, in particular, from a strip profile, such as a stretched or pressed strip profile. In the angular or polygonal embodiment, the at least one raised area is formed by at least one edge of the angle or polygon.

[0008] In another embodiment, the raised area is formed by a partition. The recess is preferably a groove shaped by the corresponding partition. The mating contact can be produced, for example, by milling.

[0009] The invention also relates to a contact system. The contact system has a connection socket of the aforementioned type and has a mating contact. The mating contact is configured to be inserted through the opening into the perforation and to contact, in particular electrically contact, the contact there.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the mating contact has a longitudinally extending sleeve that has a cavity surrounded by the sleeve and extending longitudinally along the longitudinal axis. Preferably, the sleeve is configured such that a screw can pass through the cavity. Further preferably, the contact has a threaded hole for a screwing connection with the mating contact. Thus, a press connection can advantageously be produced between the mating contact and the contact. The press connection is preferably a cold welding connection.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the mating contact has a polygonal, in particular hexagonal or octagonal, cross-section at least on the end section configured to be inserted into the perforation. The mating contact can thus advantageously be positively fixed in the perforation to prevent rotational movement. Further advantageously, the torque acting on the mating contact does not act on the other electrical connections of the contacts inside the controller. Further advantageously, when the controller and the motor are combined, leads can be formed in directions different from each other transversely to the lead-out direction of the bus bar connecting the mating contact with the mating contact, so that the controller can be used for different motor configurations.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the contact has a tapered, in particular conical, recess on the end side configured to contact the mating contact. The mating contact has a corresponding end section that is tapered, in particular towards the end, in particular conical. Thus, a good cold welding connection enhanced by radial force can advantageously be produced when the mating contact and the contact are pressed together.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the contact has a radially circumferential seal, in particular an elastomeric seal, configured to seal the contact against the perforation wall of the perforation. Preferably, the contact is cylindrical. Furthermore, preferably, the contact and / or the retaining body have a groove for receiving the radial seal.

[0014] The connection socket can thus advantageously be designed to be media-tight, particularly with respect to media such as oil or water. Compared to variations in which contacts are embedded in the plastic of a retaining device or molded into the retaining device, the connection socket can thus be advantageously provided with improved aging resistance. Furthermore, it is advantageous to be able to place the connection socket onto a housing opening of a controller housing, with the contacts already connected in the controller, thereby sealing the housing opening and the contacts. Consequently, even after temperature fluctuations and / or aging of the connection socket, no oil or moisture can enter the controller along the lines guided by the contacts into the housing interior.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the mating contact has a busbar that is connected to it, in particular in a materially bonded manner, and that extends from the mating contact in particular transversely to the longitudinal axis or with a transverse component relative to the longitudinal axis. By means of the busbar being materially bonded, in particular welded, to the mating contact, a low-impedance connection can advantageously be formed between the mating contact and the current rail. Furthermore, it is advantageous that the contact point between the mating contact and the contact, which is produced by the positively bonded and thus rotationally fixed connection between the mating contact and the contact, is not subjected to loads due to lever torques that could be exerted on the mating contact by the busbar.

[0016] The present invention also relates to a control unit having a contact system of the aforementioned type. The control unit has a housing with a housing wall, wherein the housing wall has a perforation. The connection socket is preferably arranged in the perforation. The perforation is preferably sealed by the connection socket. The connection socket preferably has an elastomeric seal, which is designed to seal against the housing wall in the region of the perforation. The connection socket preferably has a front panel that is particularly flat and ends flush with the housing wall of the control unit housing. Further preferably, the housing wall has a recess into which the front panel of the connection socket is recessed. In this way, the connection socket with the anti-twist device can advantageously be designed in a space-saving manner.

[0017] The present invention also relates to an electric machine having a controller, wherein the controller is accommodated in a housing of the electric machine or is connected, in particular screwed, to the housing.

[0018] The invention also relates to an electric drive device for an electric vehicle, which includes an electric machine with a controller. The controller, in particular the converter, is configured to energize the electric machine to generate a rotating magnetic field. The electric machine is electrically connected to a connection socket and thus to the controller on the input side by means of a busbar, preferably by means of a busbar for each phase. The electric drive device, in particular the so-called electric axle, preferably has a transmission. The controller of the drive device can advantageously be configured in a compact or additionally medium-sealed manner, in particular oil-tight, in this way. Description of the Drawings

[0019] Now, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings and other embodiments. Other advantageous embodiments result from combinations of the features described in the dependent claims and the drawings.

[0020] Figure 1 An embodiment of a contact system having a connection socket and a mating contact is shown, the mating contact being able to make electrical contact with an inner contact by contact when inserted into an opening of the connection socket;

[0021] Figure 2 Shown in Figure 1 A variant of the contact pair shown in includes a contact and a mating contact, which are correspondingly configured to fit into each other conically;

[0022] Figure 3 A variant of a contact system is shown, which includes a connection socket and a mating contact, the mating contact having four raised regions that can fit into corresponding recesses in the opening of the connection socket to prevent the mating contact from twisting;

[0023] Figure 4 A variant of a contact system is shown, which includes a connection socket and a mating contact, the mating contact having two raised regions that can fit into corresponding recesses in the opening of the connection socket to prevent the mating contact from twisting. Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0024] Figure 1 An embodiment of a contact system 1 is shown. The contact system 1 includes a connection socket 2. In this embodiment, the connection socket 2 includes a holding body 25. The holding body 25 is made of, for example, electrically insulating plastic, in particular ABS (ABS = acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene), PET (PET = polyethylene terephthalate), PMMA (polymethyl - methacrylate), PPS (PPS = polyphenylene sulfide) or thermosetting plastic.

[0025] The connection socket 2, in particular the retaining body 25, has a through-hole 5 in which a longitudinal section 7 of the contact 3 is received and retained. The retaining body 25 includes a tube 19 that surrounds the through-hole 5. The through-hole 5 has a longitudinal extent 6, wherein the contact 3 only fills a portion of the through-hole 5 with its longitudinal section 7, thereby forming a cavity 36 for receiving the mating contact 4 in the remaining longitudinal section 8 of the through-hole 5. The cavity 36 opens into an opening 37 through which the mating contact 4 can be inserted into the cavity 36 along the longitudinal extent of the through-hole 5, which extends along the longitudinal axis 10.

[0026] In this embodiment, the contact 3 has a cylindrical shape and is circular in cross-section. The through-hole 5 has a hollow cylindrical shape in the longitudinal section 7 configured to receive the end section of the contact 3. Therefore, the contact 3 can be accommodated in the through-hole 5 with its end section in a readily adaptable manner. The contact 3 has a contact surface 11 on the end side of the end section, which is configured for contact by the mating contact 4. The mating contact 4 has a mating contact surface 12 on the end side, which is configured for contact with the contact surface 11. Therefore, after being inserted into the cavity 36 through the opening 37, the mating contact 4 can make electrical contact with the contact 3, wherein the contact surface 11 and the mating contact surface 12 are in contact with each other. Thus, electrical contact is established between the contact 3 and the mating contact 4.

[0027] In this embodiment, the mating contact 4 has an octagonal, in particular, octagonal, cross section. In another embodiment, the mating contact 4 and the cavity 36 of the connection socket 2 can have a hexagonal cross section. The connection socket 2, in particular the through-hole 5, has an octagonal, in particular, octagonal cross section over the longitudinal section 8, wherein the cavity 36 is formed in this longitudinal section and extends to the opening 37. In this embodiment, the transverse diameter of the mating contact 4 is smaller than the transverse diameter of the cavity 36 along the longitudinal axis 10, thereby facilitating insertion of the mating contact 4 into the cavity 36. After insertion into the cavity 36 through the raised area formed by the octagonal shape, in this embodiment, the corners of the cross section—two adjacent corners 15 and 16 are indicated as an example—the mating contact 4 is received in the cavity 36 in a rotationally fixed manner, preventing rotation about the longitudinal axis 10. In this embodiment, the through-hole 5 , in particular the cavity 36 on the longitudinal section 8 of the through-hole, has six recesses, each of which is formed by a corner of an octagon. Of these recesses, two recesses 13 and 14 are shown as an example.

[0028] In this embodiment, a threaded hole 17 is formed in the contact 3 so that the contact 3 can be screwed together with a mating contact 4. For this purpose, the mating contact 4 has a through hole 18 arranged centrally along the longitudinal extent of the mating contact 4, through which a screw 24 can pass.

[0029] In this embodiment, the contact system 1 also includes a bus bar 22 having a through hole 23 for passing the screw 24. The bus bar 22 can be electrically connected to the end of the mating contact 4 opposite to the contact surface 12.

[0030] For this purpose, the screw 24 can be passed through the through hole 23 and the through hole 18. Then, the screw 24 can be screwed into the threaded hole 17 of the contact 3 with its threaded end section. Then, the bus bar 22 is pressed against the end face of the mating contact 4, and the mating contact surface 12 is pressed against the contact surface 11. In this way, a good electrical contact can be produced between the bus bar 22 and the contact 3.

[0031] In this embodiment, the contact 3 projects from the connection socket 2 with a connection section 9. As Figure 1 shown, the connection socket 2 can be inserted into an opening in a housing, in particular a housing wall 38, and in this way the opening can be closed. Then, the contact 3 extends into the interior of the housing and can make electrical contact with an electrical structural element there, for example a power component of a converter. For this purpose, the contact 3 has an end section 21 which is configured for screwing or riveting or caulking or for welding.

[0032] Figure 1 Also - shown in a dashed line manner - a variant of the connection socket 2 is shown, in which a tube 19 surrounding the through hole 5 has an extension 19', and a flange surrounding the mating contact 3 is formed on the extension. The tapered end section 21 of the contact 3 can pass through an opening 20 of the tube 19'.

[0033] In this embodiment, the connection socket 2 is configured as a hermetically sealed structure. For this purpose, the connection socket 2 has a seal, in particular an elastomeric seal 27, on a front panel 39 of a holding body 25, which seal is configured for sealing against the housing wall 38. The tube 19 surrounding the through hole 5 - which tube is shaped to the front panel 39 in a laterally turned manner - has a seal 26, in particular an annular elastomeric seal, in this embodiment, which is configured for sealing the contact 3 against the sleeve 19 (previously also referred to as the tube).

[0034] Figure 2 Shows the variant of the contact system shown in Figure 1 in which in Figure 2The contact system shown in the figure includes a connection socket 35, and an end section of the contact 31 is received in the connection socket. The contact 31 has a contact surface 29, which is different from the contact surface 11 of the contact 3 in Figure 1 . The contact surface is not configured as a flat structure but as a hollow cone. The mating contact 32 has a mating contact surface 28 at an end configured to contact the contact, particularly the contact surface 29. The mating contact surface is configured as a cone, particularly a pointed cone. The mating contact 32 has a perforation 33 for passing a screw 24, which is particularly centrally arranged. The contact 31 has a threaded hole 30 in which the screw 24 can be fixed.

[0035] After passing the screw 24 through the perforation 33 and screwing the screw 24 into the threaded hole 30, the mating contact 32 can be firmly pressed against the contact 31. In this case, when a radial force is formed by the conical shape, the mating contact surface 28 is tightly pressed against the contact surface 29. In this way, a particularly good electrical contact can be produced in the case of forming a particularly airtight cold weld.

[0036] In this embodiment, a bus bar 22 is formed on the mating contact 32, and the bus bar is welded to the mating contact 32 by a welding connection 34.

[0037] In Figure 2 , the mating contact 32 shown can use a polygonal cross-section like the mating contact 4 in Figure 1 . The cross-section can be inserted into a correspondingly polygonal-shaped perforation of the connection socket 35. Therefore, the mating contact 32 is also advantageously fixedly connected to the contact 31 and fixed against torsion under the action of the torque acting on the mating contact by the bus bar 22 around the longitudinal axis 10.

[0038] Figure 3 A variant of the connection socket 40 is shown, which has a quadrilateral, in this embodiment square, perforation 41 for receiving a mating contact with a square cross-section. In Figure 3 , the mating contact 42 shown has four longitudinally extending edges due to the quadrilateral cross-sectional shape. The edges respectively form raised areas and can extend into the corners of the corresponding square perforation 41. Therefore, the mating contact 42 is form-fittingly fixed against rotation around the longitudinal axis 10. The mating contact shown in Figure 3 can be advantageously provided by extrusion or rolling at a reasonable cost.

[0039] Figure 4An embodiment for connecting a socket 43 is shown, the connecting socket having a perforation 44 with a partially circular cross-section, wherein the peripheral section of the cross-section is formed straight. Thus, corners are respectively formed at the connection points between the ends of the straight sections, such that correspondingly shaped mating contacts with raised areas can be inserted into the angled recesses. Thus, the mating contacts 45 are positively fixed to prevent twisting about the longitudinal axis 10. In Figure 4 the mating contacts shown can advantageously be provided cost-effectively by flat milling of the mating contacts formed for a cylinder.

[0040] In Figure 1 、 3 and 4, the cross-sectional shapes shown can each be implemented on a contact system according to Figure 2 .

[0041] In Figure 3 and 4 , the cross-sectional shapes shown can each be implemented on a contact system according to Figure 1 .

[0042] Contact pairs with tapered contact surfaces can replace the flat contact surfaces of the contacts 3 or the mating contacts 4 and be implemented on a contact system according to Figure 1 .

Claims

1. Connecting socket (2, 35, 40, 43) for a controller, wherein the connecting socket (2, 35, 40, 43) has a holding body (25) formed of electrical insulation, wherein the connecting socket (2) has at least one or more electrical contacts (3), wherein the contacts are arranged in perforations (5, 41, 44) extending along a longitudinal axis (10) of the holding body, wherein the perforation (5) forms a cavity (36) adjacent to an outer opening (37) of the perforation (5, 41, 44) at least in an outwardly directed end section (8), such that a mating contact (4, 32, 42, 45) can be inserted through the opening (37) into the cavity (36) and can be in electrical contact with the inner contact (3), wherein the perforation (5, 41, 44) has recesses (13, 14) extending radially outward from the longitudinal axis in the region of the opening edge for engaging convex regions (15, 16) of the mating contact, such that the mating contact (4, 32, 42, 45) received in the end section (8) of the perforation (5, 41, 44) is positively fixed to prevent rotational movement about the longitudinal axis (10).

2. The connecting socket (2, 35, 40, 43) according to claim 1, characterized in that, the cavity (36) has an angular cross-section extending along the end section (8) up to the opening (37).

3. The connecting socket (2, 35, 40, 43) according to claim 2, characterized in that, the cross-section is configured as a polygon.

4. The connecting socket (2, 35, 40, 43) according to claim 3, characterized in that, the cross-section is configured as a hexagon or an octagon.

5. Contact system (1) having mating contacts (4, 32, 42, 45) and a connection socket (2, 35, 40, 43) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The mating contact is configured to be inserted through the opening (37) into the perforation (5, 41, 44) and to be in electrical contact with the contact (3, 31) in contact there.

6. The contact system (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that, the mating contact (4, 32, 42, 45) has a longitudinally extending sleeve having a longitudinally extending cavity (18, 33) surrounded by the sleeve, and a screw (24) can pass through the cavity, wherein the contact (3, 31) has threaded holes (17, 30) for screwing connection with the mating contact (4, 42, 45).

7. The contact system (1) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, the mating contact (4, 32, 42, 45) has a polygonal cross-section at least in an end section of the mating contact, and the end section of the mating contact is configured to be inserted into the perforation (5).

8. The contact system (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that, the mating contact (4, 32, 42, 45) has a hexagonal cross-section at least in an end section of the mating contact, and the end section of the mating contact is configured to be inserted into the perforation (5).

9. The contact system (1) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, the contact members (3, 31) have tapered recesses (29) on the end sides configured for contact with the mating contact members (4, 32, 42, 45), and the mating contact members (4, 32, 42, 45) have end sections (28) tapered towards the ends.

10. The contact system (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that, the contact members (3, 31) have conical recesses (29) on the end sides configured for contact with the mating contact members (4, 32, 42, 45).

11. The contact system (1) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, the contact member (3) has a radially surrounding seal (26) configured to seal the contact member (3) relative to the perforated wall of the perforation (5).

12. The contact system (1) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, the bus bar (22) is connected to the mating contact members (4, 32, 42, 45) in a material - locking manner, and the bus bar extends transversely to the longitudinal axis (10) or with a transverse component relative to the longitudinal axis from the mating contact members (4, 32, 42, 45).

13. A controller having the contact system (1) according to any one of claims 5 to 12, characterized in that, the controller has a housing with a housing wall (38), wherein the housing wall (38) has a perforation that is sealingly closed by the connection socket (2).

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