Segmented electrical feed-through device

Abstract

The invention relates to a segmented electrical feed-through device (1, 10) for electrical contact with a heating conductor (2) through a housing, comprising a heating conductor (2) and an insulating section (3), the insulating section (3) having an electrical conductor (6, 11), an insulating material (7) and a jacket (8), the electrical conductor (6, 11) and the insulating material (7) being arranged within the jacket (8), the electrical conductor (6, 11) is electrically insulated from the jacket (8) by means of an insulating material (7), the heating conductor (2) is connected to the electrical conductor (6, 11) at a predeterminable angle, the heating conductor (2) and the insulating section (3) are formed from two different elements which are permanently connected to one another by means of a joining method, preferably soft soldering, the heating conductor (6, 11) has a recess, and the insulating section (3) has a recess. The electrical conductor of the insulating section may be inserted into the recess.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a segmented electrical feedthrough for electrically contacting a heating conductor through a housing, the segmented electrical feedthrough comprising a heating conductor and an insulating section, wherein the insulating section has an electrical conductor, an insulating material and a sheath, wherein the electrical conductor and the insulating material are arranged in the sheath, the electrical conductor is electrically insulated relative to the sheath by the insulating material, and wherein the heating conductor is connected to the electrical conductor at a predeterminable angle. Background Art

[0002] Electrical heating elements are often used today to heat the exhaust gas in the exhaust gas section downstream of an internal combustion engine or the exhaust gas flowing in the exhaust gas section. The goal is to reach a critical temperature more quickly, from which the pollutants carried in the exhaust gas can be effectively converted. This is necessary because the catalytically active surfaces of the catalytic converters installed in the exhaust gas section for exhaust gas aftertreatment can only achieve adequate conversion of the corresponding pollutants from a minimum temperature, the so-called light-off temperature.

[0003] Solutions known from the prior art include so-called heated catalytic converters, which have a metal structure or a metal-coated ceramic structure connected to a power source and which can be heated using an ohmic resistor.

[0004] In order to achieve electrical contact with the heatable structure, the electrical conductor must be introduced at at least one point through the exhaust section or the housing of the catalytic converter arranged in the exhaust section. It must be ensured that the feedthrough is gas-tight and that electrical insulation is provided between the housing and the electrical conductor and that sufficient durability is ensured. The electrical conductor is usually formed from a solid material, for example a metal bolt.

[0005] DE 10 2012 110 098 B4 discloses a method for producing an electrical feedthrough for supplying power to an electric exhaust heater in a motor vehicle. The feedthrough has an outer tube, the inner cavity of which is penetrated by an electrical conductor. The electrical conductor protrudes from the outer tube at at least one of the end faces of the outer tube. The electrical conductor is surrounded by insulating material in the inner cavity of the outer tube. The feedthrough is produced by cutting a compacted bar stock, wherein the regions of the section serving as the outer tube and the section serving as the insulating material are removed by a cutting method, respectively, so that an electrical feedthrough of a desired length with a desired conductor protruding from the outer tube is produced.

[0006] The methods known from the prior art for producing electrical feedthroughs have the disadvantage that the compacted rod stock used is very expensive because it has a multi-layer structure. In addition, due to the machining process to expose the electrical conductor and cut the electrical feedthrough, a large part of about two thirds of the rod stock is not used, is damaged due to the machining process and is therefore wasted. The manufacturing process is therefore particularly complex and costly. Summary of the invention

[0007] It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a segmented electrical feedthrough and a suitable production method which allow simplified and cost-effective production of the electrical feedthrough while at least having equally good technical properties.

[0008] The object with regard to the segmented electrical feedthrough is achieved by a segmented electrical feedthrough having the features of claim 1 .

[0009] One embodiment of the present invention relates to a segmented electrical feedthrough for electrically contacting a heating conductor through a housing, the segmented electrical feedthrough comprising a heating conductor and an insulating segment, wherein the insulating segment has an electrical conductor, an insulating material and a sheath, wherein the electrical conductor and the insulating material are arranged in the sheath, the electrical conductor being electrically insulated relative to the sheath by the insulating material, wherein the heating conductor is connected to the electrical conductor at a predeterminable angle, wherein the heating conductor and the insulating segment are formed by two different elements, which are durably connected to each other by means of a joining method, wherein the heating conductor has a recess into which the electrical conductor of the insulating segment can be inserted.

[0010] Electrical feedthroughs are used to guide electrical conductors through the exhaust gas line or the housing of the catalytic converter. The feedthroughs must withstand the temperatures that occur and be gas-tight so that the exhaust gas cannot escape. The electrical conductors should be guided electrically insulated from the housing so that short circuits cannot occur.

[0011] The insulating section of the segmented feedthrough is designed to guide the electrical conductor through the housing of the exhaust gas line or the catalytic converter in an electrically insulated manner to the outside. For this purpose, the jacket can be permanently connected to the housing, for example welded. The insulating material arranged coaxially around the electrical conductor insulates the electrical conductor from the jacket.

[0012] The electrical conductor is electrically conductively connected to the heating conductor of the segmented electrical feedthrough. According to the invention, the electrical conductor, which is preferably formed by a metal bolt, and the heating conductor are connected to each other at a predeterminable angle relative to each other. This means in particular that the electrical conductor and the heating conductor are not connected to each other at the end, but the electrical conductor is preferably connected to the lateral outer surface of the heating conductor. By means of an embodiment angled in this way, a particularly space-saving embodiment can be achieved, which is particularly advantageous in the case of often very limited installation space.

[0013] The heating conductor preferably has a recess, for example a hole, into which the electrical conductor can be inserted and can be durably connected to the heating conductor. The recess on the heating conductor can, for example, form a press fit with the electrical conductor. The recess can also taper conically, for example, so that the force generated by the insertion and acting on the electrical conductor in the radial direction increases with increasing insertion depth.

[0014] The electrical conductor and the heating conductor can preferably be welded or soldered / soldered to one another.

[0015] It is particularly advantageous if the heating conductor has a solder reservoir in the recess. This is particularly advantageous for preparing the solder material required for the solder connection and thus producing the solder connection in a particularly simple manner. The solder reservoir is preferably dimensioned in such a way that a sufficient amount of solder can be prepared in order to produce a full-surface connection between the electrical conductor and the heating conductor.

[0016] It is also advantageous that the recess is formed by a hole, wherein the solder reservoir is configured on the end face of the hole configured in the heating conductor. For this reason, the hole can for example have another small recess, which forms the actual solder reservoir.

[0017] A preferred embodiment is characterized in that the recess tapers conically from the opening to the end face of the hole. This is advantageous in that a certain clamping effect is already achieved between the electrical conductor and the heating conductor by insertion and a stronger connection is thus established.

[0018] It is also preferred that the center axis of the heating conductor is arranged at an angle of 60 to 120 degrees, particularly preferably at about 90 degrees, relative to the center axis of the electrical conductor. In particular, a connection at an angle of 90 degrees relative to one another is advantageous for producing a construction that is as compact as possible. In the case of a connection at an angle other than 90 degrees, the center axis of the hole forming the recess can also be tilted at a corresponding angle in order to ensure an exactly fitting connection at the desired angle.

[0019] It is also advantageous if the insulating section is designed in multiple parts, wherein in particular the electrical conductor is designed separately, at least in two parts. Preferably, the insulating section can be designed in multiple parts. This facilitates the assembly of the electrical feedthrough. In this case, the insulating section, in particular the part of the electrical conductor in the insulating section, which serves as the contact with the heating conductor, is designed separately from the part of the electrical conductor arranged between the insulating materials.

[0020] The two components can be aligned with each other during production, if necessary with the aid of auxiliary tools, and fixed to each other, for example, point by point, by means of a solder connection. In the subsequent soft soldering method, the two components can then be connected to each other over the entire surface. For this purpose, one of the two components preferably has a solder reservoir, the size of which is sufficient to accommodate the required amount of solder. The solder reservoir can be formed, for example, by a hole in the electrical conductor.

[0021] It is also advantageous that the components of the electrical conductor can be inserted into one another and can be durably connected to one another by means of a joining method. The insertion into one another makes it possible to position the two components relative to one another in a simple manner. A solder reservoir can also be provided on one of the components in order to achieve a durably connected connection by means of a soldering process.

[0022] It is also expedient if at least one of the components of the electrical conductor has a solder reservoir, wherein the solder reservoir is arranged in a region in which the two components of the electrical conductor bear against one another.

[0023] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the solder reservoir is dimensioned in such a way that the two parts of the electrical conductor can be soldered to one another over the entire surface.

[0024] The object with regard to the method for producing a segmented electrical feedthrough is achieved by a method having the features of claim 10 .

[0025] One embodiment of the invention relates to a method for producing a segmented electrical feedthrough, wherein two parts of an electrical conductor are fixed relative to one another by means of a welding method, wherein the two parts of the electrical conductor and the electrical conductor itself with a heating conductor are connected to one another by means of a subsequent soft soldering method. In this way, the electrical feedthrough can be produced simply and can be used advantageously, in particular in confined space situations.

[0026] Advantageous developments of the invention are described in the dependent claims and in the following description of the figures. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings according to the embodiments.

[0028] Figure 1 A segmented electrical feedthrough is shown, in which the electrical conductor is designed in one piece and can be connected to the heating conductor at an angle of, for example, 90 degrees, and

[0029] Figure 2 A segmented electrical feedthrough is shown, in which the electrical conductor is designed in multiple parts and can be connected to the heating conductor at a predeterminable angle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Figure 1A segmented electrical feedthrough 1 is shown, wherein the feedthrough 1 has a heating conductor 2 and an insulating section 3. The heating conductor 2 is designed as a metal bolt and has a recess 4 extending in the radial direction of the heating conductor 2. The recess 4 can be produced, for example, by a hole. A solder reservoir 5 is provided in the bottom of the recess 4, which can hold a defined amount of solder for soldering the heating conductor 2 to the electrical conductor 6 of the insulating section 3.

[0031] exist Figure 1 The upper part of the heating conductor 2 is shown to be separated from the insulating section 3. The insulating section 3 has a central electrical conductor 6, which is coaxially surrounded by an insulating material 7, such as an oxide ceramic. The insulating material 7 is followed by a sheath 8, which is preferably metallic and can be used to connect the feedthrough 1 to an external housing.

[0032] exist Figure 1 In the lower part of the embodiment of FIG. 4 , the electrical conductor 6 is inserted into the recess 4 and the connection between the insulating section 3 and the heating conductor 2 is thus already established.

[0033] By designing the recess 4 so that it extends in the radial direction of the heating conductor 2 , it is achieved that the insulating section 3 is arranged at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the center axis of the heating conductor 2 .

[0034] Figure 2 A similar electrical feedthrough 10 is shown, wherein Figure 1 Differently, the electrical conductor 11 is designed as two parts. Figure 2 In the upper part, the electrical conductor 11 has a plug-in mechanism 12, wherein a solder reservoir is provided in a recess of the plug-in mechanism 12. By plugging the two parts of the electrical conductor 11 into one another and subsequently soldering them, a durable connection can be established.

[0035] The lower part of the electrical conductor 11 is connected to the heating conductor 2 as in Figure 1 is implemented as in the embodiment of .

[0036] Different features of the individual exemplary embodiments may also be combined with one another.

[0037] Figure 1 to Figure 2 The exemplary embodiments are particularly not limiting and serve to illustrate the inventive concept.

[0038] List of reference numerals:

[0039] 1. Segmented electrical feedthrough

[0040] 2. Heating conductor

[0041] 3. Insulation section

[0042] 4. Concave

[0043] 5. Solder storage unit

[0044] 6. Electrical conductor

[0045] 7. Insulation materials

[0046] 8. Jacket

[0047] 10. Segmented electrical feed-through device

[0048] 11. Electrical conductor

[0049] 12. Plug-in mechanism

Claims

1. A segmented electrical feedthrough (1, 10) for electrically contacting a heating conductor (2) through a housing, the segmented electrical feedthrough comprising a heating conductor (2) and an insulating section (3), wherein: The insulating section (3) comprises an electrical conductor (6, 11), an insulating material (7) and a jacket (8), wherein the electrical conductor (6, 11) and the insulating material (7) are arranged in the jacket (8), the electrical conductor (6, 11) being electrically insulated from the jacket (8) by the insulating material (7), wherein the heating conductor (2) is connected to the electrical conductor (6, 11) at a predeterminable angle, It is characterized in that The heating conductor (2) and the insulating section (3) are formed from two different elements which are durably connected to one another by means of a joining method, wherein the heating conductor (6, 11) has a recess into which the electrical conductor of the insulating section can be inserted.

2. The segmented electrical feedthrough device (1, 10) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating conductor (6, 11) has a solder reservoir (5) in the recess (4).

3. The segmented electrical feed-through device (1, 10) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The recess (4) is formed by a hole, wherein the solder reservoir (5) is formed on the end face of the hole formed in the heating conductor (2).

4. The segmented electrical feed-through device (1, 10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The recess (4) tapers gradually from the opening to the end face of the hole.

5. The segmented electrical feed-through device (1, 10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The center axis of the heating conductor (6) is arranged at an angle of 60 to 120 degrees, particularly preferably approximately 90 degrees, relative to the center axis of the electrical conductor (6, 11).

6. The segmented electrical feed-through (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The insulating section is designed in multiple parts, wherein in particular the electrical conductor (11) is designed separately in at least two parts.

7. The segmented electrical feed-through device (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that: The parts of the electrical conductor (11) can be inserted into one another and can be durably connected to one another by means of a joining method.

8. The segmented electrical feed-through device (10) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: At least one of the components of the electrical conductor (11) has a solder reservoir, wherein the solder reservoir is arranged in a region in which two components of the electrical conductor (11) are in contact with one another.

9. The segmented electrical feed-through device (10) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that: The solder reservoir is dimensioned in such a way that the two parts of the electrical conductor (11) can be soldered to one another over the entire surface.

10. A method for assembling a segmented electrical feed-through (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The two parts of the electrical conductor (11) are fixed relative to each other by means of a welding method, wherein the two parts of the electrical conductor (11) and the electrical conductor (11) itself and the heating conductor (2) are connected to each other by means of a subsequent soft soldering method.

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