A liquid-cooled terminal assembly and electrical connector

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of liquid cooling terminal assembly and electric connector, comprising: terminal base body and the reed being set in terminal base body;Terminal base body is integrated with cooling flow passage system inside, cooling flow passage system includes at least two inlet and outlet and the internal cooling circuit of connecting inlet and outlet;Terminal base body tail end is formed with the external connecting portion located at the both sides of terminal, external connecting portion is formed with the inlet and outlet of connecting internal cooling circuit, external connecting portion is formed with external thread, cooling circuit extends to the front end of terminal base body from external connecting portion, to carry out cooling temperature reduction to terminal base body inside by the cooling liquid flow through in cooling circuit.The utility model directly integrates cooling circuit in terminal base body inside, dispenses with external cooling module, saves installation space, is conducive to the miniaturization and high-density integration of equipment, and substantially improves the current-carrying capacity of product, reduces process complexity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of electrical connector technology, specifically, to a liquid-cooled terminal assembly and an electrical connector. Background Technology

[0002] The current carrying capacity of electrical connectors during operation is primarily limited by their operating temperature. Increased current leads to increased conductor heating, raising the connector temperature and affecting its performance and reliability. To improve the current carrying capacity of a product within a given conductor cross-sectional area, effective heat dissipation methods are typically required to reduce the connector temperature. Commonly used heat dissipation methods include liquid cooling, air cooling, and phase change material cooling. Among these, liquid cooling exhibits a significant cooling effect due to its highly efficient thermal conductivity.

[0003] However, existing liquid cooling solutions commonly employ the method of mounting independent cooling modules on the outer surface of terminal assemblies and cable connections to achieve heat dissipation. While this design can control temperature rise to some extent, it also introduces issues related to structural complexity and integration: on the one hand, the additional cooling modules require extra space, leading to an increase in the overall product size, which is not conducive to the requirements of equipment miniaturization and high-density installation; on the other hand, designing and manufacturing cooling components separately increases the complexity of product design, production, and assembly, thereby significantly increasing manufacturing costs and process requirements.

[0004] Therefore, how to ensure efficient heat dissipation while avoiding structural redundancy and cost increases caused by external cooling modules has become an urgent technical problem to be solved in the current electrical connector field. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a liquid-cooled terminal assembly and an electrical connector.

[0006] The present invention solves the above problems through the following technical solution:

[0007] A liquid-cooled terminal assembly includes: a terminal base and a spring disposed within the terminal base; the terminal base integrates a cooling channel system, the cooling channel system including at least two liquid inlets and outlets and an internal cooling circuit connecting the liquid inlets and outlets; the terminal base has external connecting portions located on both sides of the terminal at its tail end, the external connecting portions having liquid inlets and outlets, and external threads formed on the external connecting portions to facilitate threaded connection with inlet and outlet coolant pipes; a cooling circuit is disposed inside the external connecting portions, the cooling circuit extending from the external connecting portions to the front end of the terminal base, so as to cool the interior of the terminal base through the flow of coolant in the cooling circuit; a blind hole for mating connection is formed in the front end of the terminal base, a groove is formed in the middle of the blind hole, and the spring is installed in the groove by its own elastic limitation.

[0008] As a further improvement, the cooling circuit is a tree-like circuit, which is configured to disperse the incoming coolant into multiple parallel branches and then converge and flow out, so as to realize the entry and exit of coolant through two inlet and outlet ports.

[0009] As a further improvement, the cooling circuit is a spiral circuit, which is configured to allow the coolant to flow along a spiral path through the front end of the terminal base and then return to the rear end of the terminal base, so as to realize the entry and exit of the coolant through two inlet and outlet ports.

[0010] As a further improvement, the coolant is a non-conductive liquid.

[0011] As a further improvement, when the coolant is a conductive liquid, the inlet and outlet ports and the cooling circuit are all insulated.

[0012] As a further improvement, a mounting through hole is formed at the opening of the blind hole, through which the spring is mounted in the groove; a viewing hole is formed at the rear of the blind hole, which penetrates the terminal base from the side.

[0013] Furthermore, this utility model also solves the above problems through the following technical solutions:

[0014] An electrical connector is provided with a liquid-cooled terminal assembly as described above. The terminal base of the liquid-cooled terminal assembly is fixedly installed in the inner cavity of an insulating shell, and a spring is installed in the groove of the terminal base for forming an elastic electrical contact with a mating pin.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, this utility model has the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0016] (1) This utility model integrates the cooling circuit directly inside the terminal base, eliminating the need for an external cooling module, saving installation space, and facilitating the miniaturization and high-density integration of the equipment.

[0017] (2) The coolant of this utility model circulates directly inside the terminal substrate, with a short heat transfer path and low thermal resistance, which can achieve efficient and direct cooling of the terminal substrate and greatly improve the current carrying capacity of the product.

[0018] (3) This utility model simplifies the overall structure of the product, avoids the design, manufacturing and assembly of independent cooling modules, and effectively reduces production costs and process complexity. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of a liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the present invention when the loop is a tree-like loop;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the present invention when the circuit is a spiral circuit.

[0023] Figure label:

[0024] 1. Terminal base; 101. Liquid inlet / outlet; 102. Inspection hole; 103. Mounting through hole; 104. Groove; 105. Cooling circuit; 2. Spring. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0026] Example 1:

[0027] See attached document Figure 1-4 A liquid-cooled terminal assembly includes: a terminal base 1 and a spring 2 disposed within the terminal base 1;

[0028] The terminal base 1 has an integrated cooling channel system, which includes at least two liquid inlets and outlets and an internal cooling circuit 105 connecting the liquid inlets and outlets 101.

[0029] Specifically, the terminal base 1 has an external connecting portion formed at its tail end on both sides of the terminal. The external connecting portion has an external thread to facilitate threaded connection with the inlet and outlet coolant pipes. A cooling circuit 105 is provided inside the external connecting portion, and an inlet and outlet are formed at the end of the external connecting portion. The cooling circuit 105 extends from the tail end of the terminal base 1, i.e. the external connecting portion, to the front end of the terminal base 1, so as to cool down the inside of the terminal base 1 through the flow of coolant in the cooling circuit 105.

[0030] Optional, see appendix Figure 3 The cooling circuit 105 located at the front end of the terminal base 1 can form a tree-like circuit. It is configured to disperse the incoming coolant into multiple parallel branches and then merge and flow out, so that the coolant can flow into one inlet and outlet and then disperse into multiple branches of the tree-like circuit, and flow back into another inlet and outlet through multiple branches to achieve cooling of the terminal base 1.

[0031] Another option is to refer to the appendix. Figure 4The cooling circuit 105 located at the front end of the terminal base 1 can form a spiral circuit, which is configured to allow the coolant to flow along the spiral path through the front end of the terminal base 1 and then return to the rear end of the terminal base 1, so as to realize the entry and exit of the coolant through two inlet and outlet ports 101; the coolant flows into one inlet and outlet port, passes through a longer spiral circuit and finally flows back into the other inlet and outlet port, thereby achieving the cooling of the terminal base 1.

[0032] Preferably, the coolant used is a non-conductive liquid. If a conductive liquid is used, the inlet and outlet ports and the cooling circuit must be insulated to prevent the cooling circuit from becoming electrified.

[0033] In a further technical solution, a blind hole is formed in the front end of the terminal base 1, and a groove 104 is formed in the middle of the blind hole. The spring 2 is installed in the groove 104 in the rear end of the terminal base 1 by its own elastic limitation. An installation through hole 103 is formed at the opening of the blind hole, and the spring 2 is installed in the groove 104 through the installation through hole 103. A viewing hole 102 is formed at the rear of the blind hole, which penetrates the terminal base 1 from the side, and is used to observe the mating status when mating and connecting through the installation through hole 103.

[0034] This invention integrates the cooling circuit directly into the terminal substrate, eliminating the need for an external cooling module, saving installation space, and facilitating miniaturization and high-density integration of the equipment. The coolant circulates directly within the terminal substrate, resulting in a short heat transfer path and low thermal resistance, enabling efficient and direct cooling of the terminal substrate and significantly improving the product's current-carrying capacity. It simplifies the overall product structure, avoiding the design, manufacturing, and assembly of a separate cooling module, effectively reducing production costs and process complexity.

[0035] Example 2:

[0036] See attached document Figure 1-4 An electrical connector is provided with a liquid-cooled terminal assembly as described in Embodiment 1. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly includes a terminal base 1 and a spring 2. The terminal base 1 is fixedly installed in the inner cavity of an insulating shell by means of interference fit, snap-fit, or screw fastening. The spring 2 is elastically installed in the groove 104 of the terminal base 1 to form elastic electrical contact with mating pins.

[0037] During operation, coolant enters the cooling circuit 105 inside the terminal base 1 through one inlet / outlet port, flows through a tree-like or spiral circuit, and carries heat out through the other inlet / outlet port, forming a circulating cooling system. The mating pin is inserted into the mounting hole 103 and reliably electrically connected to the spring 2; its insertion status can be confirmed through the inspection hole 102.

[0038] Although the present invention has been described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments, the above embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the implementation of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. It should be understood that those skilled in the art can design many other modifications and implementations, which will fall within the scope and spirit of the principles disclosed in this application.

Claims

1. A liquid-cooled terminal assembly, characterized in that, include: Terminal base and spring disposed within the terminal base; The terminal substrate has an integrated cooling channel system, which includes at least two liquid inlets and outlets and an internal cooling circuit connecting the liquid inlets and outlets. The terminal base has an external connection portion formed at the tail end, located on both sides of the terminal. The external connection portion has an inlet and outlet liquid port and an external thread formed on the outside of the external connection portion to facilitate threaded connection with the inlet and outlet coolant pipeline. A cooling circuit is provided inside the external connection portion, which extends from the external connection portion to the front end of the terminal base to cool down the inside of the terminal base through the flow of coolant in the cooling circuit. A blind hole for mating connection is formed in the front end of the terminal base, and a groove is formed in the middle of the blind hole. The spring is installed in the groove by its own elastic limitation.

2. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cooling circuit is a tree-like circuit, configured to disperse the incoming coolant into multiple parallel branches before converging and flowing out, so as to realize the entry and exit of coolant through two inlet and outlet ports.

3. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cooling circuit is a spiral circuit, configured to allow the coolant to flow along a spiral path through the front end of the terminal base and then return to the rear end of the terminal base, so as to realize the entry and exit of the coolant through two inlet and outlet ports.

4. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coolant is a non-conductive liquid.

5. The liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the coolant is a conductive liquid, the inlet and outlet ports and the cooling circuit are all insulated.

6. A liquid-cooled terminal assembly according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, An installation through hole is formed at the opening of the blind hole, through which the spring is installed in the groove; a viewing hole is formed at the rear of the blind hole, which penetrates the terminal base from the side.

7. An electrical connector, characterized in that, The assembly is provided with a liquid-cooled terminal assembly as described in any one of claims 1-6, wherein the terminal base of the liquid-cooled terminal assembly is fixedly installed in the inner cavity of the insulating shell, and the spring is installed in the groove of the terminal base for forming elastic electrical contact with the mating pin.

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