Charging inlet
By designing a highly adaptable charging inlet terminal structure, the problems of bulky and complex maintenance of existing charging inlets have been solved, resulting in a smaller package and easier-to-maintain charging connection.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-31
AI Technical Summary
Existing electric vehicle charging ports are bulky, have large packaging sizes, and are complex to maintain, making them difficult to meet the needs of OEMs.
A charging inlet is designed, which uses positive and negative conductor terminals to interconnect with terminals inside the inlet housing via fasteners and to connect to the conductors via fusion welding. Combined with an electrically insulated terminal housing and locking features, it provides multiple orientation adaptability and sealing.
It features a smaller charging port profile, provides flexible cable and bus connections, is easy to maintain, adapts to different orientations, and has multiple indexing functions and environmental sealing.
Smart Images
Figure CN121756945A_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Cross-reference to related applications
[0002] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Application 19 / 335,055, filed September 22, 2025, entitled “Charging Port”, and U.S. Provisional Application 63 / 701,097, filed September 30, 2024, entitled “Useful Charging Port for Cable and / or Busbar Applications”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field
[0003] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a charging port, and more particularly to a charging port that can be used with busbars or cables oriented in one of a plurality of different orientations relative to the charging port. Background Technology
[0004] Previous charging ports for electric vehicles, especially those conforming to the combined charging standard (SAE J1772), were typically bulky and had large packages. These ports were complex to maintain, requiring the removal of numerous components and parts from the electric vehicle. Many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of electric vehicles are seeking charging ports with smaller / lower profile packages that offer flexibility in connecting to busbars or wireline conductors and are easier for EV service technicians to servic. Summary of the Invention
[0005] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a charging port including a positive conductor terminal configured to interconnect with a positive inlet terminal within an inlet housing of the charging port via a first fastener. The positive conductor terminal is also configured to be fused to a positive conductor. The charging port also includes a negative conductor terminal configured to interconnect with a negative inlet terminal within an inlet housing via a second fastener. The negative conductor terminal is also configured to be fused to a negative conductor.
[0006] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a charging inlet, which includes an inlet housing and a grounding terminal within the inlet housing, the grounding terminal being interconnected to a conductive feature via a grounding conductor. The conductive feature is configured to attach to a chassis grounding portion. Attached Figure Description
[0007] Figure 1A and Figure 1B These are side and front axonometric views of the charging port according to some embodiments.
[0008] Figure 2 According to some embodiments Figure 1A Separate isometric views of the positive and negative connector terminals of the charging inlet.
[0009] Figure 3A and Figure 3B According to some embodiments Figure 1A Front and rear axonometric views of the terminal housing of the charging inlet.
[0010] Figure 4 It is a connection to a round wire cable according to some embodiments. Figure 1A Axonometric view of the charging port.
[0011] Figure 5 It is a connection to a rectangular busbar according to some embodiments. Figure 1A Axonometric view of the charging port.
[0012] Figure 6 This illustrates a connection to a rectangular busbar according to some embodiments. Figure 3B Exploded isometric view of the alignment features of the terminal housing.
[0013] Figures 7A to 7D This is an isometric view of a charging port with conductor covers of different orientations according to some embodiments. Detailed Implementation
[0014] This disclosure provides a charging inlet 100, such as a charging inlet for interconnecting a battery pack of an electric vehicle with an electric vehicle battery charger. The charging inlet 100 shown herein conforms to the North American Charging Standard (NACS) as described in SAE Standard (J3400). However, other embodiments conforming to other charging inlet standards such as SAE J1772, Combined Charging System (CCS), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 62196, or CHAdeMO may also be used in conjunction with this disclosure. Other embodiments of the charging inlet can be adapted for applications beyond electric vehicle battery charging.
[0015] Figure 1A and Figure 1B These are side and front axonometric views of a charging inlet 100 according to some embodiments. The charging inlet 100 includes a positive conductor terminal 202 (e.g., ...). Figure 2 (as best shown), it is configured via the first fastener 116 (as shown) Figure 3A and Figure 3B (As best shown) and the positive inlet terminal 102 (see) inside the inlet housing 104 of the charging inlet 100. Figure 1B Interconnection. Positive connector terminal 202 is also configured to be fused to positive conductors 402, 502 (see...). Figure 4 and Figure 5 The charging inlet 100 also includes a negative conductor terminal 204 (such as...). Figure 2 (as shown in the best example), it is configured via a second fastener 118 (as shown in the best example). Figure 3A and Figure 3B (as shown in the best example) and the negative inlet terminal 106 within the inlet housing 104 (see) Figure 1B Interconnection, negative conductor terminal 204 also causes fusion to negative conductors 404, 504 (see Figure 4 and Figure 5 ).
[0016] As used herein, the term "fusion welding" can refer to a joint made by welding processes such as ultrasonic welding, friction welding, explosive welding, resistance welding, laser welding, electron beam welding, arc welding, gas welding, or aluminothermic welding. The term "fusion welding" can also refer to an attachment made by welding or brazing, as well as by additive manufacturing processes such as 3D printing.
[0017] exist Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the non-limiting example shown, an ultrasonic welding process is used to weld positive conductor terminal 202 and negative conductor terminal 204 to positive conductors 402, 502 and negative conductors 404, 504. Figure 4 In the example, positive conductor 402 and negative conductor 404 are flexible stranded wires soldered to positive conductor terminal 202 and negative conductor terminal 204. Figure 5 In the example, positive conductor 502 and negative conductor 504 are rigid busbars welded to positive conductor terminal 202 and negative conductor terminal 204 using an ultrasonic welding process. In an alternative embodiment, positive conductor terminal 202 and negative conductor terminal 204 can be connected to stranded wire cables and rigid busbars, for example, the busbars are fused to the top side of positive conductor terminal 202 and negative conductor terminal 204, and the busbars are fused to the bottom side of positive conductor terminal 202 and negative conductor terminal 104.
[0018] like Figure 3A and Figure 3B As shown, the positive conductor terminal 202 and the negative conductor terminal 204 are at least partially contained within the electrically insulating terminal housing 120. The terminal housing 120 provides the advantage of allowing the positive conductor terminal 202 and the negative conductor terminal 204 to be spaced apart and aligned relative to each other, relative to the positive input terminal 102 and the negative input terminal 106, and relative to the inlet housing 104. The terminal housing 120 includes alignment features 306, 602 (see...). Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 6 Its configuration mates with corresponding alignment features in the inlet housing 104 to align the positive conductor terminal 202 and the negative conductor terminal 204 with the positive inlet terminal and the negative inlet terminal, such as... Figure 6As shown. In the illustrated example, the alignment feature 308 on the terminal housing 120 is a pair of posts extending from the terminal housing 120. The corresponding alignment feature 602 in the inlet housing 104 is a corresponding pair of sockets in which the alignment feature 308 (post) is received. In an alternative embodiment, the terminal housing 120 may include the pair of sockets, and the terminal housing 120 may include the pair of posts. At least one pair of alignment features is preferred because they can provide correct alignment on both the horizontal and vertical axes when the terminal housing 120 moves relative to the inlet housing 104 along the longitudinal axis, and require minimal effort in terms of tooling and manufacturing.
[0019] like Figure 4 As shown, the interface between the positive conductor terminal 202 and the negative conductor terminal 204 and the stranded wires of the positive conductor 402 and the negative conductor 404 can be contained within an electrically insulating molded sheath 406. The electrically insulating molded sheath 406 can be formed of a low-voltage hot-melt material.
[0020] like Figure 5 As shown, the interfaces between the positive conductor terminal 202 and the negative conductor terminal 204 and the positive conductor 502 and the negative conductor 504 (busbars) can be contained within the section of the double-walled / adhesive heat shrink tubing 506.
[0021] like Figure 6 As best shown, terminal housing 120 and inlet housing 104 include locking features 604, 606 configured to engage to secure terminal housing 120 to inlet housing 104. Charging inlet 100 also includes a retainer 302 configured to secure first fastener 116 and second fastener 118 to terminal housing 120. Charging inlet 100 also includes a seal 304 within retainer 302 configured to provide an environmental seal between first fastener 116 and second fastener 118 and terminal housing 120.
[0022] like Figures 7A to 7D As shown, the terminal housings 120A-120D can be configured to provide different wire sheathing structures, such as axial (see...) Figure 7A ), downward (see Figure 7B ), to the left (see) Figure 7C ) and to the right (see Figure 7D ).
[0023] Back Figure 1A and Figure 1B The grounding terminal 108 within the inlet housing 104 is interconnected with a conductive feature 110 in the inlet mounting plate 112 attached to the inlet housing 104. The conductive feature 110 is configured to attach the inlet mounting plate 112 to the chassis of the electric vehicle. The grounding terminal 108 can be interconnected to the conductive feature via a stranded wire cable 114, such as... Figure 1A and Figure 1B As shown; or the grounding terminal can be interconnected to a conductive feature via a rigid busbar.
[0024] Back to Figure 2 The positive conductor terminal 202 and the negative conductor terminal 204 have portions 206 and 208 that are shaped, sized, and arranged to provide heat dissipation for the positive inlet terminal 102 and the negative inlet terminal 106 in the charging inlet 100. This allows the charging inlet 100 to operate at a higher power delivery level without exceeding the temperature limits of the charging inlet 100. In an alternative embodiment, these portions 206 and 208 may include fins to provide additional heat dissipation.
[0025] The charging port 100 described herein is designed to have a lower profile than prior art charging ports, thereby reducing the size of the charging port 100 while providing many of the same features for a pluggable and serviceable charging port 100.
[0026] The charging port 100 described herein also allows the charging port 100 to be regarded as a device, thereby allowing copper bus terminals or aluminum bus terminals, busbars or wires to be directly matched to the device.
[0027] The charging port 100 is designed to accommodate different wire / busbar enclosure orientations without affecting other components.
[0028] The charging port 100 combines a flexible sealed grounding option for right-hand or left-hand cover applications with a common molded connector housing featuring multiple indexing functions and anti-touch fasteners.
[0029] The charging port 100 incorporates a universal sealed connector for busbar and / or conventional cable applications. This universal sealed connector includes finger-resistant fasteners and allows for flexible adjustment of the housing orientation, whether connected to a busbar or a busbar terminal. Cables can be acoustically soldered to busbar terminals in any orientation, and a heat-fused material can be applied to cover the weld and provide a seal at the weld interface. For busbars, an environmental seal may not be necessary. The seal is provided by double-walled / adhesive heat shrink tubing, which seals the busbar terminal to the busbar weld, while a co-molded connector housing provides a sealed connection / interface for the charging port 100. Multiple cable / busbar routing orientations can be achieved by bending / routing the cables / busbars according to OEM requirements.
[0030] The co-molded cover to connector assembly combines mating and locking features with pre-captured fasteners to aid assembly and facilitate manufacturing.
[0031] While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications can be made and equivalents can be substituted for elements of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, many modifications can be made to the teachings of the invention to construct particular situations or materials without departing from the basic scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but includes all embodiments within the scope of the appended claims.
[0032] As used herein, “one or more” includes functions performed by a single element, functions performed by more than one element, such as in a distributed manner, several functions performed by a single element, several functions performed by several elements, or any combination of the above.
[0033] It should also be understood that although the terms first, second, etc., are used herein to describe various elements in some cases, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the various described embodiments, a first contact may be referred to as a second contact, and similarly, a second contact may be referred to as a first contact. Both the first contact and the second contact are contacts, but they are not the same contact.
[0034] The terminology used in the description of the various embodiments herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. In the description of the various embodiments described and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items. It should also be understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “comprises,” and / or “including” as used in this specification specifically mean the presence of the stated features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.
[0035] As used herein, the term "if" may be interpreted alternatively as "when" or "at" or "in response to determination" or "in response to detection," depending on the context. Similarly, depending on the context, the phrase "if determined" or "if detected [the state or event]" may be interpreted alternatively as "when it is determined" or "in response to determination" or "when [the state or event] is detected" or "in response to detection [the state or event]."
[0036] Furthermore, while this document may use terms of regulation or direction, these elements should not be limited by such terms. Unless otherwise stated, all regulations or directions are for the purpose of distinguishing one element from another and, unless otherwise stated, do not indicate any particular order, sequence of operations, direction, or orientation.
[0037] Discussion of possible embodiments
[0038] The following is a non-exclusive description of possible embodiments of the present invention.
[0039] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a charging port including a positive conductor terminal configured to interconnect with a positive inlet terminal within an inlet housing of the charging port via a first fastener. The positive conductor terminal is also configured to be fused to a positive conductor. The charging port also includes a negative conductor terminal configured to interconnect with a negative inlet terminal within an inlet housing via a second fastener. The negative conductor terminal is also configured to be fused to a negative conductor.
[0040] The charging port in the preceding paragraph may additionally and / or alternatively selectively include one or more of the following features / steps, constructions and / or additional components.
[0041] For example, positive conductor terminals and negative conductor terminals can be configured to be soldered to positive conductors and negative conductors, respectively.
[0042] For example, the positive and negative conductors can be selected from a list consisting of solid busbars and stranded wire cables.
[0043] For example, the positive conductor terminal and the negative conductor terminal may be at least partially contained within the electrically insulating terminal housing.
[0044] For example, the terminal housing may include alignment features configured to mate with corresponding alignment features in the inlet housing to align the positive and negative conductor terminals with the positive and negative inlet terminals.
[0045] For example, alignment features may be two or more posts extending from the terminal housing. Corresponding alignment features may be two or more sockets in the inlet housing, which may receive two or more posts.
[0046] For example, the terminal housing may include a locking feature configured to secure the terminal housing to the inlet housing.
[0047] For example, the charging inlet may also include a retainer configured to secure a first fastener and a second fastener to the terminal housing.
[0048] For example, the charging inlet may also include a seal within the retainer, the seal being configured to provide an environmental seal between the first and second fasteners and the terminal housing.
[0049] For example, a grounding terminal within the inlet housing can be interconnected with a conductive feature in an inlet mounting plate attached to the inlet housing. This conductive feature can be configured to attach the inlet mounting plate to the chassis of the electric vehicle.
[0050] For example, grounding terminals can be interconnected to conductive features via stranded wire cables.
[0051] For example, grounding terminals can be interconnected to conductive features via rigid busbars.
[0052] For example, positive and negative conductor terminals can be sized and arranged to provide heat dissipation as positive and negative inlet terminals.
[0053] For example, the interfaces between the positive and negative conductor terminals and the positive and negative conductors can be contained within an electrically insulating molded sheath.
[0054] For example, electrically insulating molded sheaths can be formed from low-pressure hot-melt materials.
[0055] For example, the interfaces between the positive and negative conductor terminals and the positive and negative conductors can be contained within the sections of the double-walled / bonded heat shrink tubing.
[0056] For example, the inlet housing can be configured to accommodate positive and negative conductor terminals with various different orientations relative to the inlet housing.
[0057] In some aspects, the technology described herein relates to a charging inlet, which includes an inlet housing and a grounding terminal within the inlet housing, the grounding terminal being interconnected to a conductive feature via a grounding conductor. The conductive feature is configured to attach to a chassis grounding portion.
[0058] The charging port in the preceding paragraph may optionally, additionally and / or alternatively include one or more of the following features / steps, constructions and / or additional components.
[0059] For example, the charging inlet may also include an inlet mounting plate configured to mount the inlet housing to the chassis of the electric vehicle. The inlet mounting plate may include conductive features. A chassis grounding portion may be provided by the chassis of the electric vehicle.
[0060] For example, the grounding conductor is selected from a list consisting of solid busbars and stranded wire cables.
Claims
1. A charging port (100), comprising: A positive conductor terminal (202) configured to interconnect with a positive inlet terminal (102) within the inlet housing (104) of the charging inlet (100) via a first fastener (116), and the positive conductor terminal (202) further configured to be fused to a positive conductor (402); and A negative conductor terminal (206) is configured to interconnect with a negative inlet terminal (106) within the inlet housing (104) via a second fastener (118), and the negative conductor terminal (206) is also configured to be fused to a negative conductor (404).
2. The charging port (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positive conductor terminal (202) and the negative conductor terminal (204) are configured to be welded to the positive conductor (402) and the negative conductor (404).
3. The charging port (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positive conductor (402) and the negative conductor (404) are selected from a list of solid busbars and stranded wire cables.
4. The charging port (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positive conductor terminal (202) and the negative conductor terminal (204) are at least partially contained within the electrically insulating terminal housing (120).
5. The charging port (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that, The terminal housing (120) includes an alignment feature (306) configured to engage with a corresponding alignment feature (602) in the inlet housing (104) to align the positive conductor terminal (202) and the negative conductor terminal (204) with the positive inlet terminal and the negative inlet terminal.
6. The charging port (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that, The alignment feature (306) is two or more posts extending from the terminal housing (120), and the corresponding alignment feature (602) is two or more sockets in the inlet housing (104), wherein the two or more posts are received in the two or more sockets.
7. The charging port (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that, The terminal housing (120) includes locking features (604, 606) configured to secure the terminal housing (120) to the inlet housing (104).
8. The charging port (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes a retainer configured to secure the first fastener (116) and the second fastener (118) to the terminal housing (120).
9. The charging port (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that, It also includes a seal within the retainer, the seal being configured to provide an environmental seal between the first fastener (116) and the second fastener (118) and the terminal housing (120).
10. The charging port (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The grounding terminal (108) in the inlet housing (104) is interconnected with a conductive feature (110) in the inlet mounting plate (112) attached to the inlet housing (104), wherein the conductive feature (110) is configured to attach the inlet mounting plate (112) to the chassis of the electric vehicle.
11. The charging port (100) according to claim 10, characterized in that, The grounding terminal (108) is interconnected to the conductive feature (110) via a stranded wire cable (114).
12. The charging port (100) according to claim 10, characterized in that, The grounding terminal (108) is interconnected to the conductive feature (110) via a rigid busbar.
13. The charging port (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positive conductor terminal (202) and the negative conductor terminal (204) are sized and arranged to provide heat dissipation for the positive inlet terminal and the negative inlet terminal.
14. The charging port (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The interfaces between the positive conductor terminal (202) and the negative conductor terminal (204) and the negative conductor (402) and the positive conductor (404) are contained within an electrically insulating molded sheath (406).
15. The charging port (100) according to claim 14, characterized in that, The electrically insulating molded sheath (406) is formed from a low-pressure hot melt material.
16. The charging port (100) according to claim 14, characterized in that, The interfaces between the positive conductor terminal (202) and the negative conductor terminal (204) and the positive conductor (402) and the negative conductor (404) are contained within a section of the double-walled / adhesive heat shrink tubing (506).
17. The charging port (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet housing (104) is configured to accommodate a positive conductor terminal (202) and a negative conductor terminal (204), the positive conductor terminal (202) and the negative conductor terminal (204) having various different orientations (120A, 120B, 120C, 120D) relative to the inlet housing (104).
18. A charging port (100), comprising: Inlet housing (104); as well as The grounding terminal (108) is located within the inlet housing (104), and the grounding terminal is interconnected to the conductive feature (110) via a grounding conductor. The conductive feature (100) is configured to be attached to the chassis grounding portion.
19. The charging port (100) according to claim 18, characterized in that, It also includes an inlet mounting plate (112) configured to mount the inlet housing (104) to the chassis of the electric vehicle, wherein the inlet mounting plate (112) includes the conductive feature (110), and wherein the chassis grounding portion is provided by the chassis of the electric vehicle.
20. The charging port (100) according to claim 18, characterized in that, The grounding conductor is selected from a list consisting of solid busbars and stranded wire cables (114).