Temperature-controllable plug connector

Abstract

The invention relates to a plug connector for transmitting high electrical power, comprising at least one contact for transmitting electrical power and a housing for holding and insulating the at least one contact, the wall of which consists of a sandwich structure at least partially, through which a medium can pass for temperature control, for this purpose, the housing comprises at least one input port for introducing the medium and at least one output port for discharging the medium. This measure allows the plug connector to achieve a temperature control in a desired temperature range, and internal and external influences on the plug connector system temperature are compensated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a plug connector for transmitting high electric power, which is light in weight, strong and durable, and can be actively temperature-controlled. Background Art

[0002] The present invention relates to a plug connector, such as an industrial high-power and / or high-voltage plug connector or a charging plug connector for electric vehicles, which has a wider temperature range and higher safety.

[0003] In today's increasingly industrialized world, electricity is becoming increasingly important as the most common form of energy, with the emergence of renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic power generation and wind power generation. Electricity is gradually replacing other energy forms based on long-chain hydrocarbons, most of which are chemical energy.

[0004] Distribution networks need to distribute electricity over large areas. Many power-consuming end devices are connected to the distribution network via plug connectors. Today, especially in the industrial sector, high-power plug connector systems that can transmit high levels of energy are often required. It is not uncommon for a plug connection to carry hundreds of amperes. Such plug connectors also often have very high insulation capabilities of several thousand volts. As a result, the contacts of such plug connector systems are subject to high loads and, despite careful design and extremely low resistance, they still heat up too much under full load. This heat must be dissipated via the housing, which must be designed to be both robust, often with metal alloys as housing materials, and able to insulate the above-mentioned high voltages, for which plastics such as polyamide are often used. Plug connections exposed to the elements, such as the plug connector between two train carriages, must also be sealed to prevent moisture from reaching the sensitive contacts. In the railway sector in particular, such plug connectors often freeze in winter, which can make it impossible to disconnect the plug connection when reconfiguring the train.

[0005] In the medical field, data centers, high-precision instruments and other fields, plug connectors that transmit power and data may overheat due to poor heat dissipation of the material. This will cause trouble for some nearby measuring instruments or highly sensitive electronic components because long-term continuous operation will generate heat.

[0006] The second aspect to consider is the weight of common plug connectors (such as high-power high-voltage plug connectors). Some areas, such as the railway industry, need to reduce the weight of such plug connectors due to energy-saving requirements. Due to durability requirements, the plug connector housing is usually made of metal (such as Al, Ni, metal alloys, etc.) with a thickness of several millimeters (about 4 mm).

[0007] Such housings are generally manufactured using a die-casting process. For such applications, it is ideal to reduce the weight of the housing and increase the versatility and functionality of the overall plug connector system without sacrificing durability and mechanical properties.

[0008] There is a need in the art for a plug connector with improved thermal management performance compared to existing systems, so that the plug connector is less susceptible to overheating and freezing.

[0009] The German Patent and Trademark Office searched the following prior art documents in the priority application of the present application: DE 102015104 029 B3, DE 10 2012 102 275 A1, DE 10 2016 213 873 A1, DE 10 2017 122662A1, DE10 2019 111 749 A1, CN 212 626 226U, CN 105 099 548A, JP 2009-266418A. Summary of the invention

[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide an improved plug connector which overcomes the above technical problems, takes into account the robustness and reduces the weight.

[0011] The solution of the invention to this object is a plug connector according to the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

[0012] The invention achieves protection of the plug connector module from the external environment in the event of abnormal temperature fluctuations (extreme heat or extreme cold). On the other hand, the plug connector according to the invention also protects the environment from excessive heat generated by the contacts in the insulating body of the plug connector module, which would otherwise be radiated outwards through the housing.

[0013] The invention solves many technical problems. For example, during winter rail operation, it is possible to prevent the plug connection between two carriages from freezing. The occurrence of freezing would prevent the separation of such a plug connection. Active temperature control of the plug connector housing can melt this ice and thus separate the plug connection again.

[0014] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention proposes a plug connector for transmitting high electric power, comprising at least one contact for transmitting electric power and a shell for holding and insulating at least one contact, wherein the wall of the shell is at least partially composed of a sandwich structure, wherein the sandwich structure enables a medium to pass through so as to achieve temperature control, and wherein the shell comprises at least one input port for introducing a medium and at least one output port for discharging the medium. The advantage of this measure is that active temperature control of the shell is achieved, while reducing weight and substantially retaining mechanical properties, so that the plug connector has a wider application field, higher safety, and lighter weight.

[0015] The term "high electrical power" includes power with currents ranging from tens to hundreds of amperes at voltages ranging from hundreds to thousands of volts.

[0016] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the plug connector, the medium is a gaseous medium. In particular, if the medium is air, the sealing of the entire system is not very important, which has the advantage of saving the manufacturing cost of the plug connector system.

[0017] In another embodiment, the medium is a liquid medium. The advantage of using liquids is that better heat transfer can be achieved in a closed loop, thereby better meeting the extremely high temperature control requirements. Many different liquids can be considered, such as battery coolant produced by 3M, but any other suitable liquid can also be used. The key point here is that the liquid used is non-corrosive and has a low freezing point, such as in the range of -10°C to -50°C, such as the common engine glycol system can meet this requirement.

[0018] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the sandwich structure has an upper cover layer and a lower cover layer, between which a core is arranged, the core being structured in a manner suitable for allowing a medium to flow through the core, wherein one cover layer is arranged on the outside of the housing and the other cover layer is arranged on the inside of the housing. This measure has the advantage of ensuring a particularly efficient heat transfer from the plug connector housing to the medium, reducing the weight of the housing while maintaining virtually the same mechanical properties, and hardly increasing or not increasing the mechanical dimensions of the housing at all.

[0019] In one embodiment, the core is an open-cell foam made of metal, polymer or natural material. The advantage of this core is that it is easy to manufacture and is very suitable for heat transfer and heat flow of the medium.

[0020] In another embodiment, the core has a lattice-like structure which may be pyramidal, tetrahedral or trihexagonal. Advantageously, such a shell may be manufactured by investment casting or additive manufacturing processes, so that also complex shell shapes can be achieved.

[0021] In another embodiment, the core has a braided or knitted structure, wherein the threads are made of metal, synthetic fibers, natural fibers or a mixture. Braiding and knitting processes are technically particularly mature and efficient, so that a housing having such a core can be produced particularly efficiently and cost-effectively.

[0022] In general, sandwich structures can consist of many different material systems. In order to meet certain requirements, the cover layers can be made of a different material than the core.

[0023] The covering layer material can be aluminum, steel, nickel, titanium, other metals, metal alloys, polymers, biocompatible polymers, self-healing polymers, shape memory polymers, fiber materials (composites), ceramic-based materials, metal-reinforced polymers, ceramics, glass, carbon fibers / sheets / nanoparticles, or selective combinations of the above materials.

[0024] The core material may be selected from, but not limited to, metal open-cell foam, metal alloy open-cell foam, polymer open-cell foam, natural material (eg, cork) open-cell foam, and the like.

[0025] The channels in the core (polymer or metal or a combination) can be of any shape. The system works similarly to blood vessels in the human body. The distribution of channels in the shell core is optimized based on the distribution of heat radiated from the contacts in the insulator to the shell. The design of this channel network depends on the shell shape, size and where the maximum heat is reached in the shell.

[0026] A person skilled in the art with knowledge of mechanical engineering and materials science can design such a system to meet the requirements of a specific target application.

[0027] The sandwich structure can also be made of only one material selected from the above materials. When using additive manufacturing processes such as 3D printing, the cover layer and the core can be formed in one piece. When using modern additive manufacturing processes, material variations of the same component can be designed and manufactured.

[0028] The overall structure can be designed as a sandwich structure (two covering layers and a core) or as a covering layer (protection from external environmental influences) and a core (in this case, the core has no holes on the inside). This structure can be formed using the above materials and any combination of these materials to meet mechanical / structural, thermal, shock and other requirements.

[0029] In one embodiment, the input port and the output port for temperature control of a large part of the housing are arranged on opposite sides of the housing. The medium flows through a large part of the housing, which has the advantage of achieving excellent heat transfer.

[0030] In another embodiment, the outlet port consists of one or more perforations on the outer side of the housing through the cover layer, through which the gaseous medium can escape. It is particularly advantageous to use air as the medium for temperature control, since air (for example compressed air) can easily escape again through the openings in the train plug connection, so that there is no need to set up a complex circulation system.

[0031] In an improved embodiment, the input port and the output port are arranged on the same horizontal plane of the housing with at least one electrical contact so as to simultaneously establish the connection between the electrical contact and the medium. When a closed circuit system is required, the advantage of this measure is that it ensures that the electrical connection and the medium connection can be established simultaneously when the plug connector system is inserted, which greatly simplifies the system operation.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the housing can be manufactured using an additive manufacturing process. This means that even complex housing shapes and complex core geometries can be manufactured easily and reliably.

[0033] The housing shape is optimized for faster heat dissipation and higher structural strength for specific applications (railway, aerospace, data centers, etc.).

[0034] In one embodiment, the temperature control system for the temperature control of the medium is integrated into the plug connector. This makes it possible to create a particularly independent plug system, which is particularly suitable for large, high-power plug systems.

[0035] In an improved embodiment, the temperature control system for medium temperature control is arranged outside the plug connector. This measure has the advantages of higher efficiency and lower cost, and is particularly suitable for small plug connectors or facilities with multiple such plug connectors. This has the advantage that if a temperature sensor is installed in the housing, the temperature sensor can notify the temperature control system when the housing needs to be controlled due to excessively high or low temperature. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] Embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings and described in detail below.

[0037] Figure 1 A first embodiment of a plug connector is shown on the left, the housing wall of which consists of a sandwich structure shown on the right side of this figure;

[0038] Figure 2 The left side likewise shows a first embodiment of the plug connector, the right side shows the medium-through sandwich structure for housing temperature control;

[0039] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing a sandwich structure consisting of a lower cover layer, an inner core and an upper cover layer;

[0040] Figure 4 A second embodiment of a plug connector is shown, which also has a housing, the walls of which are made of a sandwich structure;

[0041] Figure 5 A first cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a plug connector is shown, showing an internal honeycomb structure;

[0042] Figure 6 A second cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the plug connector is shown, showing the internal honeycomb structure;

[0043] Figure 7 shows a second cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a plug connector showing a different arrangement of input ports and output ports;

[0044] Figure 8 A third embodiment of a plug connector in which the housing is composed of a sandwich structure is shown, and various possible sandwich structures are listed on the right side of the figure.

[0045] The drawings contain partially simplified schematic diagrams. To the extent that the same reference numerals are used for the same elements, they may also be used for different elements. Different views of the same element may be scaled to different proportions. Directional terms such as "left", "right", "upper" and "lower" should be understood with reference to the corresponding drawings and may differ from the objects shown in the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Figure 2 The left side shows the same plug connector 1, whose wall consists of a sandwich structure 3. The right side of the figure shows that the medium passes through the sandwich structure 3 in order to control the temperature of the housing 5 of the plug connector. In the illustrated embodiment, the medium is air, which passes through the wall of the plug connector. For this purpose, the plug connector has at least one input port (not shown in this figure) for introducing the medium into the interior of the sandwich structure of the wall of the plug connector. In order to allow the medium to leave the plug connector again, the housing 5 also has at least one output port (also not shown in this figure). If the medium is air, for example compressed air, the output port can only be one or more perforations in the wall of the housing, through which the air can be discharged again.

[0047] Figure 3 An example structure of a sandwich structure 3 is shown. The sandwich structure 3 is composed of an upper cover layer 31 and a lower cover layer 35. There is a core 33 between the upper cover layer 31 and the lower cover layer 35, and the structure of the core 33 allows the medium 51 to flow therethrough. Figure 3 In the embodiment, the core 33 has an open-cell honeycomb structure 337, wherein the honeycomb walls have holes 339 that allow the medium 51 to flow through. However, the structure of the core 33 can also take any other form for a specific application. The structure of the core 33 only needs to guide the medium 51 to flow through it as well as possible, so that the heat can be dissipated as efficiently as possible. At the same time, the sandwich structure 3 also helps to enhance the mechanical robustness of the shell. The structure 33 can be, for example, a metal open-cell foam, or an open-cell foam made of a suitable polymer or natural material. The polymer or natural material can have a filler to improve the heat dissipation. The core structure can also be optimized for the corresponding application by suitable mathematical methods (such as finite element calculation). The structural definition can also be generated by an algorithm, in which the above-mentioned boundary conditions are integrated into the algorithm.

[0048] The plug connector housing made of such a sandwich structure 3 has one of the two covering layers 31 or 35 located on the inner side of the plug connector housing and one of the covering layers 35 or 31 located on the outer side of the plug connector housing.

[0049] The input port and the output port penetrate the cover layer 31 or 35 on the outer side of the plug connector housing 5, respectively, so that the medium 51 enters the core through the input port, flows through the core, and leaves the core at the output port. Ideally, the input port and the output port are arranged on opposite sides of the housing 5 of the plug connector 1, so that the medium 51 flows through the housing wall of the plug connector 1 over as large an area as possible, so as to achieve optimal heat transfer between the medium 51 and the housing 5.

[0050] Depending on the application, the input port and the output port can also be arranged on the same side of the housing to connect to a temperature control system. The core structure must be designed so that the medium 51 flows through the core as evenly as possible.

[0051] Preferably, the covering layers 31, 35 of the shell and the core 33 are made of the same material, so that there is no separation of the covering layers 31, 35 from the core 33 due to heat. In this configuration, the shell is ideally made by a suitable 3D printing process. In particular, 3D printing is an advantageous manufacturing method for the shell 5 when the shell shape is complex and has many bends.

[0052] If desired, the core 33 can also be made of a different material than the covering layers 31, 35. In this case, materials with coefficients of thermal expansion that are as similar as possible should be selected to prevent the covering layers 31, 35 from separating from the core 33. Many material combinations are conceivable, each of which can be tailored to the specific application of the plug connector.

[0053] The medium 51 can be a gaseous medium, such as air, nitrogen or the like. The medium 51 can also be a liquid medium, which is then circulated and temperature-controlled by an air conditioning system. For example, the battery cooling coolant produced by 3M is particularly suitable for this purpose because the coolant is corrosion-resistant, environmentally friendly, and does not contain any volatile organic compounds.

[0054] Figure 4 A second embodiment of a plug connector 1 with a housing 5 is shown. Here, too, the wall of the housing 5 consists of a sandwich structure 3 with a core 33, which here also has a honeycomb structure 337, see Figure 5 The honeycomb structure 337 of the core 33 is oriented so that the medium can be viewed from one side of the housing 5 ( Figure 5 The upper side of the housing 5 flows to the other side ( Figure 5 In order to allow the medium to diffuse in the core 33, the wall of the honeycomb structure 337 has holes 339 through which the medium 51 can pass from one honeycomb to the next.

[0055] Figure 6 A second sectional view is shown, with the section rotated by 90°. Two inlet ports 53 are shown here, for introducing the medium 51 into the core 33 of the housing 5. Figure 5The holes 339 shown here allow the medium 51 to be distributed over all the cells and flow along the cells to the other side of the plug connector and then flow out of the core 33 of the housing 5 at the output end 55. Ideally, the input end 53 and the output end 55 are diametrically opposite to each other on the plug connector housing 5. This embodiment is particularly suitable for plugging in the railway field, where compressed air, which is usually available for clutches in railway carriages, is used as a temperature control medium. The compressed air does not have to be circulated, but only needs to be discharged from the output port 55 on the top side of the plug connector. In this case, the output port can only be a perforation in the cover layer on the outside of the plug connector.

[0056] The input and output terminals can be arranged in different ways according to the shape and requirements of the housing. The plug connector housing 5 can be temperature controlled by the medium 51, and the housing 5 can be heated or cooled according to whether the medium temperature is higher or lower than the housing 5 of the plug connector 1.

[0057] Figure 7 Shows Figure 6 The second cross-sectional view shows a different arrangement of the input port 53 and the output port 55. Here, the input port 53 is arranged on the left side of the contact plane of the plug connector, while the output port 55 is arranged on the right side of the contact plane. The contact plane is the plane where the plug connector is connected to its counterpart, i.e. the plane where the two plug connectors are plugged together. This measure makes it possible to connect the electrical contacts 2 while easily connecting the circuit of the medium 51. Therefore, all necessary connections can be made by plugging the plug connector system together, which greatly simplifies the operation of the plug connector. At this time, the structure in the core 33 must be designed so that the medium 51 flows through the entire interior of the housing 5 as much as possible before flowing away, so as to ensure good heat transfer. The structure of the core 33 should be divided into two parts to ensure that the medium 51 first flows through the front half of the housing 5, then enters the rear half, and then flows back to the output port 55 through the rear half.

[0058] The temperature control system of the medium 51 can be an external system, but can also be integrated into the plug-in system. The temperature control system can adopt all common air conditioning technology solutions, especially systems based on heat pumps.

[0059] Figure 8 A third embodiment of a plug connector 1 is shown. The plug connector 1 is designed for high current and high voltage and may therefore generate heat during operation. To dissipate heat, this embodiment also replaces the existing housing with a housing having a sandwich structure 3 . Figure 7Various specific sandwich structures 3 are shown on the right, which are marked with their own reference numerals below. These sandwich structures 3 can be made by various different processes. The structure 331 is made of metal using an investment casting process and has a tetrahedral structure as core 33. The covering layers 31, 35 can be made of various metals such as aluminum, steel, nickel, alloys, metal-filled plastics or fiber composites. Natural materials and biodegradable plastics are also conceivable, and ceramic materials can also be used.

[0060] The structure 332 also has a tetrahedral core 33, which is not produced by an investment casting process but is folded from a metal sheet.

[0061] The structure 333 has a pyramidal core 33 made by an investment casting process.

[0062] The structure 334 has a triangular hexagonal core 33 also made by an investment casting process. The triangular hexagonal core 33 can also be formed into a structure 335 by braiding or knitting metal wire.

[0063] The structure 336 is woven or knitted from textile fibers. As is well known, textile fibers allow gaseous media to flow through, so that this structure is particularly suitable for gaseous media 51. The manufacturing process of this structure is particularly mature, so that the production of the core 33 using this structure 336 is extremely cost-effective.

[0064] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the housing 5 with the sandwich structure 3 is manufactured using a 3D printing process, which allows obtaining complex geometries that cannot be manufactured using other processes. In particular, when the structure of the core 33 is calculated and created using a computer-aided process, it is particularly easy to manufacture such a structure using a 3D printer. In addition, the core 33 and the covering layers 31, 35 are integrally formed from the same material, so that the covering layers 31, 35 cannot be separated from the core 33. The housing 5 can be manufactured using all well-established additive manufacturing processes, such as SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication), SL (Stereolithography), SLM (Selective Laser Melting), EBM (Electron Beam Melting) and many other additive manufacturing processes.

[0065] Alternatively, the housing can also be made using classical manufacturing processes like injection molding, die casting, vacuum resin transfer, etc. and classical layering techniques like GRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic), etc. The housing 5 can be prefabricated in two halves which are then joined together.

[0066] List of Reference Numerals

[0067] 1 Plug connector

[0068] 2 contacts

[0069] 3 Sandwich structure

[0070] 5. Shell

[0071] 31 Upper covering layer

[0072] 33 cores

[0073] 35 Lower Covering Layer

[0074] 51 Medium

[0075] 53 Input ports

[0076] 55 output ports

[0077] 331 Investment casting tetrahedral grid structure

[0078] 332 Tetrahedral grid structure formed by folding metal sheets

[0079] 333 Pyramid grid structure

[0080] 334 Triangular hexagonal grid structure made by investment casting

[0081] 335 Triangular hexagonal grid structure woven or knitted by metal wire

[0082] 336 Braided or knitted structures of metal wire, synthetic fibers, natural fibers or mixtures thereof

[0083] 337 has a pore honeycomb structure for medium flow

[0084] 339 holes in the honeycomb structure

Claims

1. A plug connector (1) for transmitting high electrical power, comprising: at least one contact (2) for transmitting electrical power; a housing (5) having a wall for holding and insulating the at least one contact and / or a contact carrier, the contact carrier being arranged to support the at least one contact, It is characterized in that The wall of the housing (5) is at least partially composed of a sandwich structure (3) which allows a medium (51) to pass through for temperature control, and the housing (5) comprises for this purpose at least one input port (53) for introducing the medium (51) and at least one output port (55) for discharging the medium (51).

2. The plug connector according to claim 1, characterized in that The medium (51) is a gaseous medium.

3. The plug connector according to claim 1, characterized in that The medium (51) is a liquid medium.

4. The plug connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The sandwich structure (3) comprises an upper cover layer (31) and a lower cover layer (35), a core (33) being arranged between the upper cover layer (31) and the lower cover layer (35), wherein one cover layer (31, 35) is arranged on the outer side of the shell and the other cover layer (35, 31) is arranged on the inner side of the shell.

5. The plug connector according to claim 4, characterized in that The core (33) is an open-cell foam made of metal, polymer or natural material.

6. The plug connector according to claim 4, characterized in that The core (33) has a grid-like structure, and the grid-like structure is designed to be a pyramid (333), a tetrahedron (331, 332) or a triangular hexagon (334, 335).

7. The plug connector according to claim 4, characterized in that The core (33) has a braided or knitted structure (336), wherein the threads are made of metal, synthetic fibers, natural fibers or a mixture.

8. The plug connector according to claim 4, characterized in that The core (33) has a honeycomb structure (337), wherein the honeycombs have (through) holes at certain points for guiding the medium (51).

9. Plug connector according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The input port (53) and the output port (55) for temperature controlling a large part of the housing (5) are arranged on opposite sides of the housing (5).

10. The plug connector according to claim 4 and claim 2, characterized in that The outlet port (55) consists of one or more perforations on the outer side of the housing through the cover layer (31, 35), through which the gaseous medium (51) can be discharged.

11. Plug connector according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The input port (53) and the output port (55) are arranged on the same horizontal plane as the at least one electrical contact (2) of the housing to simultaneously establish a connection between the electrical contact (2) and the medium (51).

12. Plug connector according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The housing (5) can be manufactured using an additive manufacturing process.

13. Plug connector according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that A temperature control system for controlling the temperature of the medium (51) is integrated into the plug connector (1).

14. The plug connector according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 12, characterized in that A temperature control system for controlling the temperature of the medium (51) is arranged outside the plug connector (1).

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