Liquid Cooling Connector and Its Liquid Cooling Terminal Assembly

By designing the positive and negative terminals and overflow component structures in the liquid-cooled terminal assembly, the problems of large volume and poor seal reliability of the liquid-cooled connector are solved, and efficient circulation and seal reliability of the coolant are achieved.

CN119787005BActive Publication Date: 2025-07-08CHINA AVIATION OPTICAL ELECTRICAL TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202510286983.8
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-03-12
Publication Date
2025-07-08
Estimated Expiration
2045-03-12

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The existing liquid-cooled connectors have large overall size and poor seal reliability, especially because the sealing requirements between the end cap and the pressure plate connecting cover are high and prone to failure.

Method used

A liquid-cooled terminal assembly is designed, including a positive and negative terminal arranged in parallel, with a liquid flow hole and a radially penetrated terminal overflow channel. The circulating flow of coolant is achieved through the butt sleeve and the overflow member, and the terminal limit is used to reduce the sealing path and improve the sealing reliability.

Benefits of technology

实现了冷却液的循环流动,减少了液冷端子组件的体积,并通过简化密封路径提高了密封可靠性,避免了密封失效。

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a conductive connection device, and particularly to a liquid-cooled connector and its liquid-cooled terminal assembly. In the liquid-cooled terminal assembly of the present invention, the coolant of one of the liquid-cooled cables flows into the liquid flow hole at the rear end of the corresponding terminal, and then flows into the liquid flow hole of the other terminal through the terminal current-carrying channel and the current-carrying member, and then returns to the other liquid-cooled cable, realizing the circulating flow of the coolant, thereby cooling the conductors and positive and negative terminals of the liquid-cooled cable; at the same time, the liquid flow hole is located inside the positive and negative terminals and does not occupy the space outside the positive and negative terminals. The current-carrying member utilizes the space between the positive and negative terminals, and as a whole, the occupied space is small, and the volume of the liquid-cooled terminal assembly is small; moreover, only the docking positions at both ends of the current-carrying member and the sealing between the docking sleeve and the assembly section need to be sealed in the entire circulating flow path, and the sealing is short, which can ensure the reliability of the sealing.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conductive connection device, and particularly to a liquid-cooled connector and its liquid-cooled terminal assembly. Background Art

[0002] As the charging current of new energy vehicles is increasing, in order to reduce heat generation, liquid-cooled connectors using liquid-cooled wires to reduce the temperature rise have emerged. For example, a liquid-cooled device for a charging gun cable disclosed in a Chinese utility model patent with the authorized announcement number CN218274082U. The liquid-cooled device includes an end cap, on which positive and negative terminals are hermetically installed. The end cap has an inner cavity with an opening facing backward, and the positive and negative terminals extend into the inner cavity. A pressure plate connection cover is hermetically installed at the opening of the end cap. The positive and negative liquid-cooled cables hermetically pass through the pressure plate connection cover and extend into the inner cavity of the end cap. The internal wires of the liquid-cooled cables are connected to the corresponding terminals, and the liquid-cooled channels around the wires of the liquid-cooled cables communicate with the inner cavity of the end cap. In this way, the two liquid-cooled cables achieve mutual connection of the liquid-cooled channels through the end cap, thereby realizing a cooling circulation loop of one-in and one-out, and achieving cooling of the cable and the charging gun terminals. However, in such a liquid-cooled connector, the inner cavity of the end cap for connecting the liquid-cooled channels of the two liquid-cooled cables wraps the two terminals as a whole. The end cap is large in size, the edge length of the buckle seal between it and the pressure plate connection cover is long, the sealing requirement is high, and the end cap and the pressure plate connection cover are fixedly connected by a plurality of connection screws arranged around the edge. The tightening degrees of these connection screws are inconsistent, which easily causes sealing failure at the edge. Therefore, the existing such liquid-cooled connector has a large overall size and poor sealing reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a liquid-cooled terminal assembly to solve the problems of large overall size and poor sealing reliability of the cable liquid-cooled device in the prior art. At the same time, the present invention also provides a liquid-cooled connector to solve the problems of large overall size and poor sealing reliability of the existing liquid-cooled connector.

[0004] The liquid-cooled terminal assembly of the present invention includes positive and negative terminals arranged in parallel. The positive and negative terminals successively have a plugging section, an assembly section, and a wiring section from front to back. There is a liquid flow hole in the positive and negative terminals that extends forward from the rear end and communicates with the liquid-cooled channel of the liquid-cooled cable during use. The liquid flow hole extends to the assembly section through the wiring section. A radially penetrating terminal current-carrying channel is provided on the wall of the liquid flow hole at the assembly section. A docking sleeve is also hermetically sleeved on the assembly section. The docking sleeves sleeved on the positive and negative terminals are respectively provided with docking ports on the opposite side faces. The terminal current-carrying channel communicates with the docking port. An overcurrent member is hermetically docked between the two docking ports to realize the mutual connection of the two-terminal current-carrying channels of the positive and negative terminals. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly also includes upper and lower hoop clamps, and the upper and lower hoop clamps are connected by buckling and simultaneously hold the positive and negative terminals tightly to limit the positive and negative terminals in the parallel direction.

[0005] Furthermore, the upper and lower clamps are clamped at the assembly section and the docking sleeve is clamped inside, the docking sleeve is inserted into the assembly section from back to front, the positive and negative terminals are provided with front stop surfaces that stop the docking sleeve forward, at least one of the upper and lower clamps is provided with a bite structure that matches the positive and negative terminals in a radial direction to achieve stopping of the two in the front and rear directions, the bite structure is located on the front side of the docking sleeve, and at least one of the upper and lower clamps is also provided with a rear stop surface that matches the docking sleeve in the rearward direction.

[0006] Furthermore, the upper and lower clamps each include two arcuate clamp body parts arranged in parallel and a middle connecting section connecting the two arcuate clamp body parts. At least one of the middle connecting sections of the upper and lower clamps is provided with an axial limiting structure for limiting the flow component in the axial direction of the flow component.

[0007] Furthermore, at least one of the middle connecting sections of the upper and lower clamps is also provided with a circumferential limiting structure for limiting the flow component in the circumferential direction of the flow component.

[0008] Furthermore, the flow component includes a flow tube, both ends of which are docking ends respectively used for sealing and plugging with the docking port, and a limiting outer convex ring is provided on the outer wall of the flow tube at a position between the two docking ends, and the axial limiting structure is a limiting groove for the limiting outer convex ring to be inserted into and for axially stopping and limiting the limiting outer convex ring.

[0009] Furthermore, the limiting outer convex ring is a polygonal outer convex ring, the limiting groove is a rotation-stop groove adapted to the outer contour of the limiting outer convex ring, and the rotation-stop groove constitutes the circumferential limiting structure.

[0010] Furthermore, the middle connecting sections of the upper and lower clamps are fastened and connected by connecting screws located at the front and rear sides of the flow-through piece so as to be clamped up and down.

[0011] Furthermore, the upper and lower clamps each include two arcuate clamp body parts arranged in parallel, and the two arcuate clamp body parts respectively clamp the positive and negative terminals. In the parallel direction of the two arcuate clamp body parts, the edges of the upper and lower clamps that are far away from each other are clamped and connected by a snap buckle and a snap groove.

[0012] Furthermore, a flow ring groove is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the assembly section at a position corresponding to the docking port, and the terminal flow channel is a flow hole provided corresponding to the bottom of the flow ring groove.

[0013] Furthermore, there are multiple groups of flow holes, and the multiple groups of flow holes are arranged at intervals in the axial direction, and the multiple flow holes included in each group are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction.

[0014] Furthermore, at least one of the upper and lower clamps is provided with a stop structure for engaging with the connector housing.

[0015] Further, the anti-back structure is an anti-back elastic arm for cooperating with the anti-back card slot on the connector housing, and the anti-back elastic arm radially extends outward from front to back.

[0016] The present invention pioneeringly provides a liquid-cooled terminal assembly in which the positive and negative terminals arranged in parallel both have liquid flow holes extending forward from the rear end and communicating with the liquid-cooling channels of the liquid-cooled cables during use. The liquid flow holes extend to the assembly section through the wiring section. A radially penetrating terminal current-carrying channel is provided on the pore wall of the liquid flow hole at the assembly section. A docking sleeve is also hermetically sleeved on the assembly section. The docking sleeves sleeved on the positive and negative terminals are respectively provided with docking ports on the opposite side faces. The terminal current-carrying channel is communicated with the docking port. An overcurrent member is hermetically docked between the two docking ports to realize the mutual connection of the two terminal current-carrying channels of the positive and negative terminals. In the liquid-cooled terminal assembly of this solution, the coolant of one liquid-cooled cable flows into from the liquid flow hole at the rear end of the corresponding terminal, flows into the liquid flow hole of the other terminal through the terminal current-carrying channel and the overcurrent member, and flows back to the other liquid-cooled cable, realizing the circulating flow of the coolant, thereby cooling the conductors of the liquid-cooled cables and the positive and negative terminals; at the same time, the liquid flow holes are inside the positive and negative terminals and do not occupy the space outside the positive and negative terminals. The overcurrent member utilizes the space between the positive and negative terminals, and the overall occupied space is small, and the volume of the liquid-cooled terminal assembly is small; moreover, only the docking positions at both ends of the overcurrent member and the sealing between the docking sleeve and the assembly section need to be sealed in the entire circulating flow path, and the sealing is short, which can ensure the reliability of the sealing.

[0017] The liquid-cooled connector of the present invention includes a connector housing and a liquid-cooled terminal assembly for connecting with a liquid-cooled cable. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly includes positive and negative terminals arranged in parallel. The positive and negative terminals sequentially have a plugging section, an assembly section, and a wiring section from front to back. Liquid flow holes extending forward from the rear end and communicating with the liquid-cooling channels of the liquid-cooled cables during use are provided inside the positive and negative terminals. The liquid flow holes extend to the assembly section through the wiring section. A radially penetrating terminal current-carrying channel is provided on the pore wall of the liquid flow hole at the assembly section. A docking sleeve is also hermetically sleeved on the assembly section. The docking sleeves sleeved on the positive and negative terminals are respectively provided with docking ports on the opposite side faces. The terminal current-carrying channel is communicated with the docking port. An overcurrent member is hermetically docked between the two docking ports to realize the mutual connection of the two terminal current-carrying channels of the positive and negative terminals. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly also includes upper and lower retaining hoops. The upper and lower retaining hoops are connected by buckling and simultaneously hold the positive and negative terminals tightly to limit the positive and negative terminals in the parallel direction.

[0018] Further, the upper and lower clamping hoops are tightly clamped at the assembly section and clamp the docking sleeve therein. The docking sleeve is sleeved on the assembly section from the rear to the front. The positive and negative terminal ends are provided with front stop surfaces for stopping the docking sleeve forward. At least one of the upper and lower clamping hoops is provided with a clamping structure that is concavo-convexly matched with the positive and negative terminal ends in the radial direction to achieve stopping in the front-rear direction. The clamping structure is located on the front side of the docking sleeve. At least one of the upper and lower clamping hoops is further provided with a rear stop surface that is stop-matched with the docking sleeve in the backward direction.

[0019] Further, both the upper and lower clamping hoops each include two arc-shaped hoop body parts arranged in parallel and a middle connecting section connecting the two arc-shaped hoop body parts. At least one of the middle connecting sections of the upper and lower clamping hoops is provided with an axial limiting structure for limiting the current-carrying part in the axial direction of the current-carrying part.

[0020] Further, at least one of the middle connecting sections of the upper and lower clamping hoops is further provided with a circumferential limiting structure for limiting the current-carrying part in the circumferential direction of the current-carrying part.

[0021] Further, the current-carrying part includes a current-carrying pipe. Both ends of the current-carrying pipe are docking ends respectively used for sealingly plugging into the docking ports. A limiting convex ring is provided on the outer side wall of the current-carrying pipe at a position between the two docking ends. The axial limiting structure is a limiting card slot for the limiting convex ring to be inserted into and axially stop-limited with the limiting convex ring.

[0022] Further, the limiting convex ring is a polygonal convex ring, and the limiting card slot is an anti-rotation card slot adapted to the outer contour of the limiting convex ring. The anti-rotation card slot constitutes the circumferential limiting structure.

[0023] Further, the middle connecting sections of the upper and lower clamping hoops are tightly connected and clamped up and down by connecting screws located on the front and rear sides of the current-carrying part.

[0024] Further, both the upper and lower clamping hoops each include two arc-shaped hoop body parts arranged in parallel. The two arc-shaped hoop body parts respectively clamp the positive and negative terminal ends. In the direction of arrangement of the two arc-shaped hoop body parts, the mutually remote edges of the upper and lower clamping hoops are connected by clamping buckles and clamping grooves.

[0025] Further, a current-carrying ring groove is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the assembly section at a position corresponding to the docking port. The terminal current-carrying channel is a current-carrying through hole provided corresponding to the bottom of the current-carrying ring groove.

[0026] Further, there are multiple groups of current-carrying through holes. The multiple groups of current-carrying through holes are arranged at intervals in the axial direction, and each group includes a plurality of current-carrying through holes that are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction.

[0027] Further, the connector housing includes a front housing and a rear housing. The front housing is provided with a plugging port for plugging in the mating connector. The rear housing is provided with an installation port for the liquid-cooling terminal assembly to be loaded from the rear to the front. A rear cover is buckled at the edge of the installation port to block the liquid-cooling terminal assembly in the backward direction. The rear cover is provided with a threading hole for the liquid-cooling cable connected to the positive and negative terminals to pass through.

[0028] Further, at least one of the upper and lower retaining clamps is provided with an anti-retreat structure for anti-retreat cooperation with the connector housing.

[0029] Further, the connector housing is provided with an anti-retreat card slot, and the anti-retreat structure is an anti-retreat elastic arm for cooperating with the anti-retreat card slot. The anti-retreat elastic arm radially extends outward from the front to the rear.

[0030] The present invention pioneeringly provides a liquid-cooling connector. In the liquid-cooling terminal assembly thereof, the positive and negative terminals arranged in parallel both have liquid flow holes extending forward from the rear end and communicating with the liquid-cooling channels of the liquid-cooling cables during use. The liquid flow holes extend to the assembly section through the wiring section. Radially penetrating terminal current-carrying channels are provided on the hole wall of the liquid flow holes at the assembly section. A docking sleeve is also hermetically sleeved on the assembly section. The docking sleeves sleeved on the positive and negative terminals are respectively provided with docking ports on the opposite side faces. The terminal current-carrying channels are communicated with the docking ports. An overcurrent member is hermetically docked between the two docking ports to realize the mutual communication of the two terminal current-carrying channels of the positive and negative terminals. In the liquid-cooling terminal assembly of this solution, the cooling liquid of one of the liquid-cooling cables flows into from the liquid flow hole at the rear end of the corresponding terminal, flows into the liquid flow hole of the other terminal through the terminal current-carrying channel and the overcurrent member, and then flows back to the other liquid-cooling cable, realizing the circulating flow of the cooling liquid, thereby cooling the conductors of the liquid-cooling cables and the positive and negative terminals; at the same time, the liquid flow holes are inside the positive and negative terminals and do not occupy the space outside the positive and negative terminals. The overcurrent member utilizes the space between the positive and negative terminals, and the overall space occupied is small, and the volume of the liquid-cooling terminal assembly is small; moreover, only the docking positions at both ends of the overcurrent member and the sealing between the docking sleeve and the assembly section need to be sealed in the entire circulating flow path. The sealing is short, and the reliability of the sealing can be ensured. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an embodiment of the liquid-cooling connector of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another perspective of the shown liquid-cooling connector;

[0033] Figure 3 is Figure 1 an exploded view of the shown liquid-cooling connector;

[0034] Figure 4Schematic structural diagram of the liquid-cooled terminal assembly when connecting the liquid-cooled cable;

[0035] Figure 5 is Figure 4 Schematic structural diagram of the structure shown in the upward view;

[0036] Figure 6 is Figure 5 Cross-sectional view at position A in

[0037] Figure 7 is Figure 6 Cross-sectional view at position B in

[0038] Figure 8 is Figure 4 Schematic structural diagram with the upper retaining hoop hidden in

[0039] Figure 9 is Figure 4 Exploded perspective view of the structure shown;

[0040] Figure 10 Schematic structural diagram of the lower retaining hoop;

[0041] Figure 11 Schematic structural diagram of the upper retaining hoop;

[0042] Figure 12 Schematic structural diagram of the current-carrying part;

[0043] Figure 13 Schematic structural diagram of the docking sleeve;

[0044] Figure 14 Schematic structural diagram of the rear housing.

[0045] In the figure: 10, front housing; 11, rear housing; 100, plug-in port; 110, installation port; 118, wire-sealing body; 119, rear cover; 129, anti-backlash groove; 2, liquid-cooled terminal assembly; 20, positive and negative terminals; 200, engagement ring groove; 201, plug-in section; 202, assembly section; 203, wiring section; 204, terminal current-carrying channel; 205, liquid flow hole; 206, front stop convex ring; 207, current-carrying ring groove; 210, upper retaining hoop; 211, lower retaining hoop; 212, engagement convex rib; 213, stop convex rib; 219, anti-backlash spring arm; 22, docking sleeve; 221, docking boss; 228, rear step surface; 229, mating plane; 23, current-carrying part; 230, current-carrying pipe; 231, limiting outer convex ring; 232, assembly outer convex ring; 233, docking end; 2100, arc-shaped hoop part; 2111, middle connecting section; 2101, clamping buckle; 2102, clamping groove; 2113, clamping vertical plate; 2114, limiting card slot; 2115, buckling sleeve; 2116, screw hole column; 2119, anti-rotation mating surface; 2210, docking port; 9, liquid-cooled cable. Specific Embodiments

[0046] The features and performance of the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with embodiments.

[0047] The present invention pioneeringly provides a liquid cooling connector, mainly making a completely new design on the structural form of the liquid cooling terminal assembly installed in the liquid cooling connector for connecting with liquid cooling cables. By designing the cooling medium circulation channel between two liquid cooling cables, the space occupied by the liquid cooling terminal assembly is reduced, and finally the volume of the liquid cooling connector is reduced; at the same time, the sealing path that needs to be sealed on the cooling medium circulation channel at the liquid cooling terminal assembly is reduced, improving the reliability of sealing.

[0048] Based on the above concept, multiple different embodiments are provided below for illustration.

[0049] In a basic embodiment, it can be understood with the help of Figure 1-9 that the liquid cooling connector of this embodiment includes a connector housing and a liquid cooling terminal assembly 2 installed in the connector housing. The liquid cooling terminal assembly 2 includes positive and negative terminals 20 arranged side by side. The front side of the positive and negative terminals 20 is the plugging side for plugging with a mating connector after being installed in the connector housing. The middle section of the positive and negative terminals 20 is used for realizing fixed assembly in the connector housing. The rear side of the positive and negative terminals 20 is used for connecting with the liquid cooling cable 9. That is to say, the positive and negative terminals 20 sequentially have a plugging section 201, an assembly section 202, and a wiring section 203 from front to back.

[0050] Among them, the positive and negative terminals 20 are internally provided with a liquid flow hole 205 extending forward from the rear end and communicating with the liquid cooling channel of the liquid cooling cable 9 during use. The liquid flow hole 205 extends through the wiring section 203 to the assembly section 202. In this way, the coolant flowing into the positive and negative terminals 20 from the liquid cooling cable 9 can have a longer flow path therein, and the heat exchange area with the positive and negative terminals 20 is larger, which can play a better cooling effect on the positive and negative terminals 20. A radially penetrating terminal current-carrying channel 204 is provided on the pore wall of the liquid flow hole 205 at the assembly section 202. A docking sleeve 22 is also hermetically sleeved on the assembly section 202. The docking sleeves 22 sleeved on the positive and negative terminals 20 are respectively provided with docking ports 2210 on the opposite side surfaces. The terminal current-carrying channel 204 is communicated with the docking port 2210. An overcurrent member 23 is hermetically docked between the two docking ports 2210. In this way, the mutual connection of the two terminal current-carrying channels 204 of the positive and negative terminals 20 can be realized. Thus, after the coolant in one of the liquid cooling cables 9 flows into the liquid flow hole 205 of one of the positive and negative terminals 20, it can flow into the liquid flow hole 205 of the other positive and negative terminal through the terminal current-carrying channel 204 and the overcurrent member 23, and return through the other liquid cooling cable 9, thereby realizing the circulating flow of the coolant.

[0051] In order to ensure the docking reliability between the current-carrying part 23 and the two docking sleeves 22 while facilitating manufacturing and assembly, the liquid-cooled terminal assembly 2 further includes upper and lower hoops. The upper and lower hoops are connected by buckling and simultaneously hold the positive and negative terminals 20 tightly, so as to limit the positive and negative terminals 20 in the parallel direction and prevent the positive and negative terminals 20 from displacing away from each other in the parallel direction.

[0052] The coolant of this liquid-cooled terminal assembly 2 flows into the positive and negative terminals 20 and circulates through the current-carrying part 23 between the positive and negative terminals 20, without occupying the space outside the positive and negative terminals 20, and can achieve a smaller volume. At the same time, in the entire circulating flow path, sealing is only required at the two docking positions at both ends of the current-carrying part 23 and between the docking sleeve 22 and the assembly section 202. The sealing is short, which can ensure the reliability of the sealing.

[0053] Based on the above embodiments, in a more specific embodiment, the upper and lower hoops hold tightly at the assembly section 202 and hold the docking sleeve 22 tightly inside, so that the docking position of the docking sleeve 22 and the current-carrying part 23 can be directly held and limited. Since the more important function of the insertion section 201 is to be adaptively inserted with the mating connector, in order to avoid the possible influence on the insertion section 201 when the docking sleeve 22 is sleeved on the positive and negative terminals 20 from front to back, in this embodiment, the docking sleeve 22 is sleeved on the assembly section 202 from back to front. A front stop convex ring 206 is provided at the front side position of the assembly section 202 of the positive and negative terminals 20, and the rear side surface of the front stop convex ring 206 constitutes the front stop surface for stopping the docking sleeve 22. At the same time, in order to prevent the docking sleeve 22 from moving backward without restraint, resulting in the misalignment of the docking port 2210 and the terminal liquid flow channel and causing sealing failure, in this embodiment, at least one of the upper and lower hoops is provided with an engaging structure that is concavo-convexly matched with the positive and negative terminals 20 in the radial direction to achieve the stop of the two in the front-rear direction. The engaging structure is located at the front side of the docking sleeve 22, and at least one of the upper and lower hoops is further provided with a rear stop surface that is in stop cooperation with the docking sleeve 22 in the backward direction, and the docking sleeve 22 is constrained and limited in the backward direction through the rear stop surface. In this way, after the upper and lower hoops hold tightly at the assembly section 202, on the one hand, the positive and negative terminals 20 are limited in the parallel direction, and at the same time, the axial limit of the docking sleeve 22 is also achieved.

[0054] Based on the above embodiments, in an embodiment, the upper and lower hoops can be a tile-shaped structure including a middle straight section and arc sections at both ends of the middle straight section. The upper and lower hoops are buckled to hold the positive and negative terminals 20 tightly at the same time. The positive and negative terminals 20 are constrained by the arc sections on both sides to prevent them from displacing away from each other. The upper and lower hoops are tightly connected by connecting screws passing through the middle straight section. Figure 3-11In the illustrated embodiment, both the upper and lower hoop fasteners each include two arc-shaped hoop body portions 2100 arranged in parallel and a middle connecting section 2111 connecting the two arc-shaped hoop body portions 2100. The middle connecting sections 2111 of the upper and lower hoop fasteners are tightly connected by connecting screws on the front and rear sides of the current-carrying member 23 to hold the upper and lower parts tightly. The inner arc surfaces of the two arc-shaped hoop body portions 2100 are held tightly at the assembly section 202 of the positive and negative terminals 20, which not only prevents the two positive and negative terminals 20 from moving away from each other but also prevents the two positive and negative terminals 20 from moving closer to each other.

[0055] At this time, as Figure 6-11 shown, a bite ring groove 200 is provided at the front end position of the assembly section 202 of the positive and negative terminals 20. Bite ribs 212 are provided on the arc-shaped hoop body portions 2100 of the upper and lower hoop fasteners at positions corresponding to the bite ring groove 200. When the upper and lower hoop fasteners are buckled and held tightly on the positive and negative terminals 20, the bite ribs 212 and the bite ring groove 200 are in concave-convex fit, so as to realize the stop of the upper and lower hoop fasteners and the positive and negative terminals 20 in the front-rear direction. Of course, in different embodiments, the setting positions of the bite ribs 212 can be different, for example, only provided on one of the upper and lower hoop fasteners and not provided on the other. Or, in other embodiments, an outwardly protruding bite convex ring is provided at the front end of the assembly section 202 of the positive and negative terminals 20. Correspondingly, bite grooves are provided on the arc-shaped hoop body portions 2100 of at least one of the upper and lower hoop fasteners.

[0056] In addition, as can also be seen from Figure 6-11 Figures 13, stop ribs 213 are provided on the arc-shaped hoop body portions 2100 of the upper and lower hoop fasteners at positions close to the rear end. A rear step surface 228 is provided at the position close to the rear end of the docking sleeve 22. After the upper and lower hoop fasteners are buckled and held tightly, the stop ribs 213 are blocked behind the rear step surface 228, so as to realize the stop of the docking sleeve 22 in the backward direction. That is, in this case, the front side surface of the stop rib 213 constitutes the above-mentioned rear stop surface.

[0057] On the basis of the above embodiment, in one embodiment, mating flat surfaces are respectively provided on the inner peripheral surface of the docking sleeve 22 and the outer peripheral surface of the assembly section 202. That is, after the docking sleeve 22 is sleeved on the assembly section 202, the docking sleeve 22 is guaranteed not to rotate relative to the assembly section 202 through the surface fit between the docking sleeve 22 and the assembly section 202. At the same time, the docking ports 2210 of the two docking sleeves 22 on the positive and negative terminals 20 are arranged opposite to each other, and the two ends of the current-carrying member 23 are inserted and docked with the two docking ports 2210. After the upper and lower hoop fasteners are held tightly outside the docking sleeve 22, since the distance between the two positive and negative terminals 20 remains unchanged, a reliable plug-in connection can be guaranteed between the docking sleeve 22 and the current-carrying member 23.

[0058] In another embodiment, at least one of the middle connection sections 2111 of the upper and lower clamping hoops is provided with an axial limiting structure for limiting the current-carrying member 23 in the axial direction of the current-carrying member 23. Through the axial limiting structure, the current-carrying member 23 can be limited in its own axial direction. In this way, the upper and lower clamping hoops not only constrain the two positive and negative terminal members 20 to ensure that the distance between them remains unchanged, but also constrain the axial position of the current-carrying member 23, better ensuring that the docking conditions at both ends of the current-carrying member 23 with the docking sleeve 22 are consistent, and also avoiding the displacement of the current-carrying member 23 relative to the positive and negative terminal members 20 due to the force on the positive and negative terminal members 20 during use, ensuring the reliability of the sealed docking. On this basis, in a more optimal embodiment, at least one of the middle connection sections 2111 of the upper and lower clamping hoops is further provided with a circumferential limiting structure for limiting the current-carrying member 23 in the circumferential direction of the current-carrying member 23, so as to prevent the current-carrying member 23 from rotating relative to the docking port 2210 around its own axis and avoid accidental rotation from affecting the sealed docking at both ends.

[0059] Specifically, as Figure 7-11 shown, in this embodiment, the current-carrying member 23 includes a current-carrying pipe 230 with a circular cross-section. The two ends of the current-carrying pipe 230 are docking ends 233, which are respectively inserted into the docking ports 2210 of the docking sleeve. Sealing ring grooves are respectively provided on the outer peripheral surfaces of both ends, and sealing rings are installed in the sealing ring grooves to achieve sealing between the inner wall surface of the docking port 2210 and the outer peripheral surface of the docking end 233. A limiting outer convex ring 231 is provided on the outer side wall of the current-carrying pipe 230 at a position between the two docking ends 233. The axial limiting structure is a limiting card slot 2114 for the limiting outer convex ring 231 to be inserted into and axially stop and limit the limiting outer convex ring 231. As Figure 10 , 11 shown, limiting card slots 2114 are provided on both the upper and lower clamping hoops. The limiting card slot 2114 provided on the upper clamping hoop 210 includes four side walls in the front, back, left, and right directions. The limiting card slot 2114 provided on the lower clamping hoop 211 is formed by two clamping vertical plates 2113 arranged opposite to each other on the left and right, so as to limit the current-carrying member 23 in two axial directions. Of course, arc-shaped notches adapted to the outer peripheral surface of the current-carrying pipe 230 are provided on both the limiting card slot 2114 provided on the upper clamping hoop 210 and the two clamping vertical plates 2113 provided on the lower clamping hoop 211. After the upper and lower clamping hoops are buckled, the limiting card slots 2114 on both of them clamp the current-carrying member 23 in a shackle-like manner. Moreover, as Figure 11-12As shown, the limiting convex outer ring 231 is a square convex outer ring with a square outer contour. The limiting card slot 2114 on the upper retaining hoop 210 is an anti-rotation card slot adapted to the outer contour of the limiting convex outer ring 231. As a circumferential limiting structure, the anti-rotation card slot can limit the rotation of the current-carrying member 23 around its own axis. Of course, showing the limiting convex outer ring 231 as a square convex outer ring in the figure is only an example. In other embodiments, the outer contour of the limiting convex outer ring 231 can also be a regular pentagon, a regular hexagon, etc., and the inner contour of the limiting card slot 2114 can be adapted to it.

[0060] In addition, as Figure 7-8 shown in FIGS. 12, in one embodiment, assembly convex outer rings 232 are respectively arranged on both sides of the limiting convex outer ring 231 on the outer peripheral surface of the current-carrying pipe 230. The outer contour of the assembly convex outer ring 232 is circular, that is, an annular convex ring. An assembly ring groove is formed between the assembly convex outer ring 232 and the limiting convex outer ring 231, and the groove width of the assembly ring groove is adapted to the left and right side walls of the limiting card slot 2114 of the upper retaining hoop 210 and is also adapted to the clamping vertical plates 2113 of the lower retaining hoop 211. In this way, the left and right side walls of the limiting card slot 2114 and the two clamping vertical plates 2113 can be inserted into the assembly ring groove.

[0061] As Figure 8-10 shown in FIGS. 13, in one embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the assembly section 202 of the positive and negative terminals 20 is a cylindrical surface, and the inner peripheral surface of the docking sleeve 22 is a cylindrical surface. Two front and rear sealing ring grooves are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the assembly section 202, and sealing rings are installed in the sealing ring grooves. After the docking sleeve 22 is sleeved on the assembly section 202, sealing is achieved between the outer peripheral surface of the assembly section 202 and the inner peripheral surface of the docking sleeve 22 through a sealing line. The terminal current-carrying channel 204 and the docking port 2210 are both located between the two front and rear sealing ring grooves. At this time, in order to prevent the docking sleeve 22 from rotating relative to the positive and negative terminals 20, the outer wall of the docking sleeve 22 has a protruding docking boss 221. The docking boss 221 extends along the axial direction of the docking sleeve 22 and has a rectangular cross-section. A hole penetrating radially to the inner cavity of the docking sleeve 22 is arranged in the docking boss 221, so that the above-mentioned docking port 2210 is formed on the table surface of the docking boss 221. The current-carrying member 23 is inserted into this hole to be docked with the docking sleeve 22. The setting of the docking boss 221 increases the insertion length between it and the current-carrying member 23 on the one hand, ensuring the sealing performance of the docking position. At the same time, the two opposite side planes of the docking boss 221 in the circumferential direction form a mating plane 229. The two adjacent edges of the arc-shaped hoop part 2100 of the upper and lower retaining hoops, that is, the edge position where the arc-shaped hoop part 2100 is connected to the middle connecting section 2111, has an anti-rotation mating surface 2119. After the upper and lower retaining hoops are buckled, the anti-rotation mating surface 2119 cooperates with the mating plane 229 to limit the rotation of the docking sleeve 22 relative to the positive and negative terminals 20.

[0062] As Figure 10-11As shown, in a more optimal embodiment, in order to ensure the reliability of the screw connection between the upper and lower retaining rings, a screw hole column 2116 extending towards the upper retaining ring 210 is provided on the lower retaining ring 211. A threaded hole for screwing a connecting screw is provided inside the screw hole column 2116. By providing the screw hole column 2116, the length of the threaded hole is increased, ensuring more reliable screwing. In addition, in order to improve the stability and tightness of the upper and lower retaining rings when they are buckled, a buckling sleeve 2115 is provided on the upper retaining ring 210 at a position corresponding to the screw hole column 2116. After the upper and lower retaining rings are buckled, the screw hole column 2116 is adaptively inserted into the buckling sleeve 2115. Through the insertion and fitting of the screw hole column 2116 and the buckling sleeve 2115, the structural strength of the upper and lower retaining rings at the middle connecting section 2111 can also be improved.

[0063] Based on the above embodiment, in a more optimal embodiment, as Figure 9-11 shown, in the juxtaposed direction of the two arc-shaped hoop parts 2100, that is, in the left-right direction, the mutually distant edges of the upper and lower retaining rings are connected by snap fasteners 2101 and snap grooves 2102. In this way, the upper and lower retaining rings are connected up and down at both ends and in the middle in the left-right direction, and the fixing and holding effects on the positive and negative terminals 20, the docking sleeve 22, and the overcurrent part 23 are better.

[0064] Based on the above embodiment, in a more optimal embodiment, an overcurrent ring groove 207 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the assembly section 202 at a position corresponding to the docking port 2210. The terminal overcurrent channel 204 is an overcurrent through hole provided corresponding to the bottom of the overcurrent ring groove 207. In this way, the coolant can communicate with the liquid flow hole 205 through the terminal overcurrent channel 204 on the entire circumference of the assembly section 202 by means of the overcurrent ring groove 207, and there is no need to deliberately ensure the alignment of the terminal overcurrent channel 204 and the docking port 2210 when the docking sleeve 22 is sleeved on the assembly section 202, reducing the assembly difficulty. On this basis, in a more optimal embodiment, there are multiple groups of overcurrent through holes, and the multiple groups of overcurrent through holes are arranged at intervals in the axial direction. Each group contains multiple overcurrent through holes and is evenly distributed in the circumferential direction. In this way, the flow resistance can be reduced, the overcurrent speed can be increased, and the cooling effect can be improved.

[0065] Regarding the connector housing, there are various different structural forms in the prior art. The following provides a relatively optimal example shown in an embodiment of a liquid-cooled connector. As Figure 1-3, as shown in Fig. 14, the connector housing includes a front housing 10 and a rear housing 11. The front housing 10 has a cylindrical main body. The front port of the cylindrical main body is a plug-in port 100 for plugging in the mating connector. A front insulating member is provided inside the cylindrical main body. A terminal mounting cavity for the positive and negative terminals 20 to extend into is provided on the front insulating member. An insertion opening is provided at the front end of the terminal mounting cavity, and the terminals of the mating connector pass through the plug-in port 100. The rear port of the cylindrical main body is the mating port of the rear housing 11, and the rear housing 11 is connected to the front housing 10 through a snap structure. An installation port 110 for the liquid-cooled terminal assembly 2 to be loaded from the rear to the front is provided on the rear housing 11. A rear cover 119 is buckled at the edge of the installation port 110. A wire sealing body 118 is installed on the front side of the rear cover 119. The rear cover 119 and the wire sealing body 118 are used to block the liquid-cooled terminal assembly 2 in the backward direction. A wire passing hole for the liquid-cooled cable 9 connected to the positive and negative terminals 20 to pass through is provided on the rear cover 119. In this way, after the liquid-cooled terminal assembly 2 is assembled, it can be loaded from the rear to the front into the inner cavity surrounded by the front and rear housings 11, blocked by the front insulating member on the front side, and restricted by the rear cover 119 on the rear side, thereby realizing the installation in the connector housing.

[0066] In addition, in a preferred embodiment, at least one of the upper and lower clamps is provided with an anti-retreat structure for anti-retreat cooperation with the connector housing. Through the anti-retreat structure, in addition to the blocking effect of the rear cover 119, a structure for anti-retreat assembly can be formed between the liquid-cooled terminal assembly 2 and the connector housing, which can also avoid the situation of the liquid-cooled cable 9 shifting when subjected to a pulling force.

[0067] On the basis of the above embodiments, in one embodiment, an anti-retreat card slot 129 is provided on the rear housing 11, and anti-retreat elastic arms 219 for cooperating with the anti-retreat card slot 129 are provided on the upper and lower clamps. The anti-retreat elastic arms 219 radially extend outward from the rear to the front, and the anti-retreat elastic arms 219 constitute the above anti-retreat structure. In this way, after the liquid-cooled terminal assembly 2 is assembled in place from the rear to the front, the anti-retreat elastic arms 219 naturally rebound outward and cooperate with the anti-retreat card slot 129, and the assembly is relatively convenient. Of course, in other embodiments, the anti-retreat elastic arms 219 extending inward from the rear to the front can also be provided on the inner wall of the rear housing 11, and the corresponding anti-retreat card slots 129 can be provided on the upper and lower clamps. Or, in one embodiment, the upper and lower clamps are provided with outwardly protruding barbs, and the rear housing 11 has an inner wall surface adapted to the outer contour of the upper and lower clamps of the liquid-cooled terminal assembly 2. After the liquid-cooled terminal assembly 2 is loaded into the rear housing 11, the barb structure is used as an anti-retreat structure to be force-fitted with the inner wall surface of the rear housing 11 to achieve anti-retreat.

[0068] The embodiment of the liquid-cooled terminal assembly of the present invention has the same specific structure as the liquid-cooled terminal assembly in the above liquid-cooled connector, and will not be described in detail herein.

[0069] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The patent protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the claims. All equivalent structural changes made by using the content of the specification and drawings of the present invention shall, by the same token, be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Liquid-cooled terminal assembly, characterized in that, It includes positive and negative extreme terminals (20) arranged in parallel. The positive and negative extreme terminals (20) successively have a plug-in section (201), an assembly section (202), and a wiring section (203) from front to back. A liquid flow hole (205) extending forward from the rear end and communicating with the liquid cooling channel of the liquid cooling cable (9) during use is provided inside the positive and negative extreme terminals (20). The liquid flow hole (205) extends to the assembly section (202) through the wiring section (203). A radially penetrating terminal overcurrent channel (204) is provided on the pore wall of the liquid flow hole (205) at the assembly section (202). A docking sleeve (22) is also hermetically sleeved on the assembly section (202). Docking ports (2210) are respectively provided on the opposite side surfaces of the docking sleeve (22) sleeved on the positive and negative extreme terminals (20). The terminal overcurrent channel (204) communicates with the docking port (2210). An overcurrent part (23) is hermetically docked between the two docking ports (2210) to realize the mutual connection of the two terminal overcurrent channels (204) of the positive and negative extreme terminals (20), so that the coolant of a liquid cooling cable flows in from the liquid flow hole at the rear end of the corresponding terminal, flows into the liquid flow hole of the other terminal through the terminal overcurrent channel and the overcurrent part, and then returns to the other liquid cooling cable. The liquid cooling terminal assembly (2) further includes upper and lower retaining rings that are held tightly at the assembly section (202) and hold the docking sleeve (22) tightly inside. The upper and lower retaining rings are connected in a butting manner and simultaneously hold the positive and negative extreme terminals (20) tightly to limit the positive and negative extreme terminals (20) in the parallel direction. An overcurrent ring groove (207) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the assembly section (202) at a position corresponding to the docking port (2210). The terminal overcurrent channel (204) is an overcurrent through hole provided corresponding to the bottom of the overcurrent ring groove (207).

2. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The docking sleeve (22) is sleeved on the assembly section (202) from back to front. A front stop surface for stopping the docking sleeve (22) forward is provided on the positive and negative extreme terminals (20). At least one of the upper and lower retaining rings is provided with an engaging structure that is concavo-convexly matched with the positive and negative extreme terminals (20) in the radial direction to realize the stop of the two in the front-rear direction. The engaging structure is on the front side of the docking sleeve (22). At least one of the upper and lower retaining rings is also provided with a rear stop surface that is stop-matched with the docking sleeve (22) in the backward direction.

3. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, Both the upper and lower retaining rings include two arc-shaped hoop parts (2100) arranged in parallel and a middle connection section (2111) connecting the two arc-shaped hoop parts (2100). At least one of the middle connection sections (2111) of the upper and lower retaining rings is provided with an axial limiting structure for limiting the overcurrent part (23) in the axial direction of the overcurrent part (23).

4. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that, At least one of the middle connection sections (2111) of the upper and lower retaining rings is also provided with a circumferential limiting structure for limiting the overcurrent part (23) in the circumferential direction of the overcurrent part (23).

5. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to claim 4, wherein The current-carrying member (23) includes a current-carrying pipe (230). Both ends of the current-carrying pipe (230) are docking ends (233) respectively used for sealing plugging with the docking ports (2210). A limiting convex ring (231) is provided on the outer side wall of the current-carrying pipe (230) at a position between the two docking ends (233). The axial limiting structure is a limiting card slot (2114) for the limiting convex ring (231) to be inserted into and axially stop and limit the limiting convex ring (231).

6. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to claim 5, wherein The limiting convex ring (231) is a polygonal convex ring, and the limiting card slot (2114) is an anti-rotation card slot adapted to the outer contour of the limiting convex ring (231). The anti-rotation card slot constitutes the circumferential limiting structure.

7. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to claim 3, wherein, The middle connecting sections (2111) of the upper and lower retaining hoops are tightly connected by connecting screws on the front and rear sides of the current-carrying member (23) to be tightly held up and down.

8. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, Both the upper and lower retaining hoops include two arc-shaped hoop parts (2100) arranged in parallel. The two arc-shaped hoop parts (2100) respectively hold the positive and negative terminal ends (20). In the parallel direction of the two arc-shaped hoop parts (2100), the mutually distant edges of the upper and lower retaining hoops are connected by a snap fastener (2101) and a snap groove (2102).

9. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are multiple groups of current-carrying through holes. The multiple groups of current-carrying through holes are arranged at intervals axially, and each group contains multiple current-carrying through holes and is evenly distributed in the circumferential direction.

10. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, At least one of the upper and lower retaining hoops is provided with an anti-retreat structure for anti-retreat cooperation with the connector housing.

11. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that, The anti-retreat structure is an anti-retreat elastic arm (219) for cooperating with the anti-retreat card slot (129) on the connector housing. The anti-retreat elastic arm (219) radially extends outward from front to back.

12. Liquid cooling connector, characterized in that, It includes a connector housing and a liquid-cooled terminal assembly (2) for connecting with a liquid-cooled cable (9). The liquid-cooled terminal assembly (2) is the liquid-cooled terminal assembly (2) described in any one of claims 1-9.

13. The liquid-cooled connector according to claim 12, wherein, The connector housing includes a front housing (10) and a rear housing (11). The front housing (10) is provided with a plugging port (100) for plugging an adapted connector. The rear housing (11) is provided with an installation port (110) for the liquid-cooled terminal assembly (2) to be installed from back to front. A rear cover (119) is buckled at the edge of the installation port (110) to stop the liquid-cooled terminal assembly (2) in the backward direction. The rear cover (119) is provided with a wire-passing hole for the liquid-cooled cable (9) connected to the positive and negative terminal ends (20) to pass through.

14. The liquid cooling connector according to claim 12, characterized in that, At least one of the upper and lower retaining hoops is provided with an anti-retreat structure for anti-retreat cooperation with the connector housing.

15. The liquid cooling connector according to claim 14, characterized in that, The connector housing is provided with an anti-retreat card slot (129). The anti-retreat structure is an anti-retreat elastic arm (219) for cooperating with the anti-retreat card slot (129). The anti-retreat elastic arm (219) radially extends outward from front to back.

Citation Information

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