Electrical terminal and electrical assembly

Abstract

An electrical terminal has a body for connection to a conductor and defines an annular structure. A tongue extends into the annular structure and has a deflectable end that projects away from the body and forms a pin receptacle between the annular structure and the tongue. The pin terminal can be inserted into the pin receptacle with a relatively small force.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an electrical terminal and terminal assembly for safely connecting electrical components, and is particularly suitable for automotive applications. Background Technology

[0002] Electric fluid pumps are known and commonly used to move fluids in thermal management systems, such as coolant in vehicles. An example of a thermal management system is the cooling of the battery system in a hybrid or pure electric vehicle. The fluid pump operates at several different speeds to increase or decrease the flow of coolant through the thermal management system based on demand signals from the vehicle's central computer. Valves can be used in conjunction with the fluid pump to regulate the flow from the pump, thereby ensuring the distribution of coolant throughout the thermal management system. Valves can also be used to switch fluid flow from various devices served by the pump into the pump. Each valve requires an electric actuator motor that drives the valve to switch coolant flow into or out of the valve.

[0003] Currently known fluid pumps include valves integrated with the pump, where the motor that moves the valve and the motor that drives the pump are housed in the same housing. Both devices are packaged as a single integrated unit. Power and control signals for operating the motors and the valve actuators are provided by a motor driver located in the vehicle's central computer. The motor driver, controlled by the vehicle's central computer, drives the pump motor at different pump speeds and / or activates the actuator motor to position the valve in multiple switching positions. Additionally, the actuator may include a position sensor that provides feedback signals to the motor driver indicating the current switching position of the valve. The power and control connections between the integrated pump and valve and the remotely positioned motor driver utilize separate wiring harnesses, each connecting the fluid pump and valve individually, resulting in complex wiring and high component costs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention relates to an electrical terminal having a body for connection to a conductor and defining an annular structure. A tongue extends into the annular structure and has a deflectable end that extends away from the body and forms a pinhole between the annular structure and the tongue.

[0005] The present invention also relates to an electrical assembly having an electrical terminal comprising a body for connection to a conductor and defining an annular structure. A tongue extends into the annular structure and has a deflectable end extending away from the body, forming a pin socket between the annular structure and the tongue. A pin terminal is positioned in the pin socket, contacting the tongue and spaced apart from the annular structure.

[0006] The present invention also relates to a method for forming an electrical connection, the method comprising the step of providing an electrical terminal including a body for connection to a conductor and defining an annular structure. A tongue extends into the annular structure and has a deflectable end extending away from the body, forming a pin socket between the annular structure and the tongue. Furthermore, a pin terminal is provided and inserted into the socket using a force less than about 7 N. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 This is a top view of the terminal of the present invention.

[0008] Figure 2 This is a top view of the terminal and conductor assembly of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the terminal and the pin terminal before it is inserted into the socket of the terminal.

[0010] Figure 4 It is a perspective view showing the terminals and pin terminals in a mating and engaging state.

[0011] Figure 5 It is a perspective view of an array of five terminals and pin terminal assemblies.

[0012] Figure 6 It is a perspective view of the array of five terminals and pin terminal assemblies connected to the lead frame.

[0013] Figure 7 This is a graph showing the change in reaction force (N) generated during the insertion of the pin into the terminal socket over time (seconds), with the resultant force (optional) shown by a triangular dividing line.

[0014] Figure 8 It is a top view of an array of five terminals and pin terminals.

[0015] Figure 9 This is a perspective view of the array of five terminals and pin terminals connecting the pump to the power supply and valve sensor board.

[0016] Although the following description is given in conjunction with specific embodiments, it should be understood that this description is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the foregoing description and the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Figure 1A socket terminal 10 is shown, having a body 8 at a first end 14 and a strip 12 extending from the body 8 and forming an annular structure. The strip defines an arcuate section at a second end 16 and returns to the body 8, thereby defining an enclosed space 18 in the annular structure 22. A tongue 20 extends from the strip 12 into the annular structure 22, having a deflectable end 23 that provides a pin socket 24 between the annular structure 22 and the tongue 20. The strip 12 has a rectangular cross-section 26. A tapered section 27 of the strip extends from the body 8 to an arcuate section 28, which forms a bend 57 in the annular structure 22. The tongue 20 has a proximal end 30 with a first upper surface 32, and the deflectable end 23 has a second upper surface 34. The first upper surface 32 may be coplanar with the top surface 36 of the strip 12, and the second upper surface 34 extends beyond the top surface 36 of the strip 12; therefore, the second upper surface is not coplanar with the top surface 36. The deflectable end 23 may be bent to extend from the body 8 to or beyond the thickness of the tongue. The vertical cross-section of the tongue 20 has a polygonal shape. Polygonal shapes include, for example, squares and rectangles. Although the shown tongue 20 has two parallel side edges 37, the side edges 37 may not be straight but may have irregular shapes, and the shape of one side edge 37 may differ from the shape of the other side edge 37. Preferably, the strip 12 and the tongue 20 are integral structures made of conductive material and formed, for example, by stamping. Conductive materials include metals such as iron, copper, silver, gold, aluminum, etc., and metal alloys such as brass, bronze, steel, etc., or other conductive materials known to those skilled in the art.

[0018] Figure 2 An assembly 40 of the socket terminal 10 is shown, which is connected to the first end 41 of the conductive element 42. Figure 1 All the attached figures are in Figure 2 The components are reused. In one embodiment, the socket terminal 10 and the conductive element 42 are integrally formed from a sheet of conductive material by stamping. The conductive element 42 can also be attached to the conductive wire, rod, or other conductive element of the socket terminal 10 by welding or other techniques known to those skilled in the art. The opposite second end 43 of the conductive element can be connected to, for example, an electrical component, such as a power supply, pump motor, valve actuator motor, valve position sensor, and the mainboard of a control unit. Figure 8 As shown.

[0019] Figure 3The diagram shows a socket terminal 10 adjacent to the pin terminal 44 before it is inserted into the pin socket 24. The horizontal cross-section of the pin terminal 44 is approximately square or rectangular, having four faces including a first face 52, an opposing second face 55, a third face 53, and a fourth face (not shown), each face connected to an adjacent face at a corner edge 61. The polygonal shape providing the corner edges reduces the surface area in contact with the circular pin socket 24, thereby reducing friction between components and consequently reducing the insertion force. The pin terminal 44 has an insertion end 46, which can be shaped as a square pyramid, more preferably a truncated square pyramid. Even if the target insertion force is deviated from—where the pin is not precisely aligned with the centerline of the pin socket 24—the pin terminal can be guided to correct alignment when the surface of the insertion end 46 contacts the inner surface of the pin socket 24. The length of the pin terminal 44 is greater than that of a standard compliant pin, thereby enabling it to accommodate a wider range of mating distances between connected components. The longer length avoids tolerance accumulation between mating parts, which could otherwise cause the distance between parts to exceed the length of a standard compliant pin terminal, rendering the standard compliant pin terminal unusable. Pin terminal 44 has sufficient length so that, when fully engaged, the insertion end 46 can extend beyond the engagement position of the deflectable end 23. Pin terminal 44 has a wide face 48, with the insertion direction indicated by arrow 49 on the wide face 48.

[0020] Figure 4 An assembly 50 is shown that inserts a pin terminal 44 into a pin socket 24, wherein the deflectable end 23 of the tongue 20 cooperatively engages the first surface 52 of the pin terminal 44. Figure 3 This causes the deflectable end 23 to deflect upwards, thereby bending the pin terminal 44 away from the pin socket 24, such as... Figure 4 As shown. In Figure 4 The location of the fourth surface 59 is shown in the diagram. It is desirable to reduce the insertion force by minimizing the surface area of ​​contact between the components during insertion. Preferably, the only contact between the socket terminal 10 and the pin terminal 44 is between a portion of one of the surfaces 52, 53, 55, 59 and / or one of the corner edges 61 of the deflectable end 23 of the tongue 20 and the pin terminal 44. The pin terminal 44 may have any surface and / or corner edge that contacts the tongue 20 during insertion and in its final position. In a preferred embodiment, a gap 54 is formed between the opposing second surface 55 of the pin terminal and the inner surface of the bend 57 of the strip 12 during insertion and when in its final position.

[0021] Figure 5An array 70 of five terminals 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, and 10e is shown, one end of which is electrically connected to associated pin terminals 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d, and 44e to define five components 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d, and 50e, respectively. Although five components 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d, and 50e are shown, the number of components can be from 1 to 10, more preferably from about 2 to about 8, and even more preferably from about 3 to 6 components 50.

[0022] Figure 6 A stamped conductor array, sometimes referred to as a lead frame 72, is shown connected to the array 70 of component 50. The lead frame 72 has five conductive elements 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d, and 42e, each associated with a socket terminal 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, and 10e, respectively. The number of conductive elements 42 can be set as needed to be the same as, more than, or less than the number of components 50. The lead frame 72 is constructed by placing a set of stamped copper alloy conductors in a carrier structure and overmolding a thermoplastic material over the carrier structure and the conductors. The carrier structure holds the conductors in a spaced-apart relationship during the overmolding process. During the overmolding process, applied material flows over and between the conductors in the lead frame 72, thereby isolating and insulating the conductors in the lead frame from each other. Preferably, the number of conductive elements 42 in the lead frame 72 is equal to the number of terminals 10.

[0023] Figure 7 To illustrate that when the pin terminal 44 is inserted into the pin socket 24, on surface 48 ( Figure 3 and Figure 4 The graph shows the initial reaction force 60 and the final positional reaction force 62 measured on the [device / device]. Preferably, the initial reaction force 60 and the final positional reaction force 62 are less than about 7 N, more preferably less than about 6 N, even more preferably less than about 5 N, and most preferably less than about 3 N. Figure 7 As shown, the initial reaction force is 2.5N and the final positional reaction force is 1.0N. This reaction force is perpendicular to surface 48 along the insertion direction aligned with the pin axis.

[0024] Figure 8The diagram shows the deflectable end 23 of the socket terminal 10a of the first component 50a contacting the pin terminal 44a at the corner edge 61 and the first surface 52. The deflectable end 23 of the socket terminal 10b of the second component 50b contacts the pin terminal 44b at the corner edge 61 and the third surface 53. The deflectable end 23 of the socket terminal 10c of the third component 50c contacts the pin terminal 44c at the corner edge 61 and the third surface 53. The deflectable end 23 of the socket terminal 10d of the fourth component 50d contacts the pin terminal 44d at the corner edge 61 and the second surface 55. The deflectable end 23 of the socket terminal 10e of the fifth component 50e contacts the pin terminal 44e at the corner edge 61 and the second surface 55. In each case, only one corner edge 61 of the pin terminal 44 engages with the deflectable end 23 of the corresponding socket terminal 10. Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment, none of the corner edges 61 of the pin terminal 44 contact the interior of the bend 57, which further reduces the insertion force. In other words, all the corner edges 61 of the pin terminal are spaced apart from the interior of the bend 57.

[0025] Figure 9 A bridging frame 80 containing electrical conductors 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d, and 42e is shown, housed within the bridging frame 80. A first set of two conductors 42a and 42b are connected to power terminals 82 on the actuator motor 84 to supply power to the motor 84. A second set of three conductors 42c, 42d, and 42e returns a feedback signal from the valve sensor plate 83 to the mother plate (not shown). The actuator motor 84 has a motor shaft 88 connected to the valve via a gear transmission system (not shown). When actuated, the actuator motor 82 rotates the motor shaft 88, thereby selectively positioning the valve. The valve sensor plate 86 transmits the valve position to the mother plate (not shown) via the feedback signal through conductors 42c, 42d, and 42e.

[0026] A method for forming an electrical connection between a terminal and a pin terminal is now described. The steps include providing an electrical terminal comprising a body for connection to a conductor and defining a ring structure, a tongue extending into the ring structure and having a deflectable end protruding away from the body, and forming a pin socket between the ring structure and the tongue. Another step requires providing a pin terminal with a generally polygonal horizontal cross-section. The method also includes the step of inserting the pin terminal into the socket using a force of less than about 7 N, and may optionally include the step of connecting a conductive element to the body. The conductive element may be a single wire, multiple wires, or multiple conductors in a lead frame.

[0027] Without further detailed description, it is believed that those skilled in the art, based on the foregoing description, will be able to fully utilize this disclosure without departing from its spirit and scope, and readily identify its essential features, thereby making various modifications and alterations to adapt it to different uses and conditions. Therefore, the foregoing preferred embodiments should be considered merely as illustrative examples and not in any way limiting the remainder of this disclosure. This disclosure is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electrical terminal, the electrical terminal comprising: A body for connection to a conductor, an annular structure, and a tongue extending into the annular structure, the tongue having a deflectable end extending away from the body and providing a pinhole located between the annular structure and the tongue.

2. The electrical terminal according to claim 1, comprising a strip having a generally rectangular cross-section and an arcuate section forming the annular structure.

3. The electrical terminal according to claim 1, wherein, The tongue has a proximal end, which has a first upper surface that is substantially coplanar with the top surface of the body.

4. The electrical terminal according to claim 3, wherein, The tongue has a distal end, which has a second upper surface extending beyond the top surface.

5. The electrical terminal according to claim 1, wherein, The main body is made of conductive material.

6. The electrical terminal according to claim 1, wherein, When a properly sized pin terminal is inserted, the pin socket has an initial reaction force of less than about 7N.

7. An electrical component, comprising: A socket terminal for connection to a conductor and defining an annular structure and a tongue extending into the annular structure, the tongue having a deflectable end extending away from the annular structure and providing a pin socket located between the annular structure and the tongue; and A pin terminal that can be positioned in the pin socket in a manner that contacts the tongue and is located within the annular structure.

8. The electrical component according to claim 7, wherein, The pin terminal has a square pyramidal insertion surface.

9. The electrical component according to claim 7, wherein, The socket terminal has a tapered section that extends into the arc-shaped section.

10. The electrical component according to claim 9, wherein, The arc-shaped section defines the bend that completes the ring structure.

11. The electrical component according to claim 7, wherein, The tongue has a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end having a first upper surface that is substantially coplanar with the top surface of the annular structure, and the distal end having a second upper surface that extends beyond the top surface.

12. The electrical component according to claim 7, wherein, The tapered segment extends from the main body.

13. The electrical component according to claim 7, wherein, When the pin terminal is inserted, the pin socket has an initial reaction force of less than about 7N.

14. A method for forming an electrical connection, comprising: An electrical socket terminal is provided, the electrical socket terminal including a body for connection to a conductor and defining an annular structure and a tongue extending into the annular structure, the tongue having a deflectable end extending away from the body and providing a pin socket located between the annular structure and the tongue; Provide pin terminals; and Insert the pin terminal into the pin socket.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of attaching a conductive element to the body.

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