Charging connectors for electric and hybrid vehicles

Abstract

The invention relates to a charging connector (1) for electric and hybrid vehicles (18), comprising a housing (7), charging contacts (2) arranged in the housing (7), and a heat storage element (5) formed in the housing, wherein the heat storage element thermally contacts at least one charging contact (2) having a longitudinal axis, thus enabling heat transfer from the charging contact (2) to the heat storage element, and the heat storage element is slidably mounted on the charging contact (2) along its longitudinal axis. In this way, good heat dissipation is achieved in a simple manner with a charging connector (1).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a charging connector for electric and hybrid vehicles, comprising a housing, charging contacts arranged in the housing and a heat accumulator formed in the housing.

[0002] Electric and hybrid vehicles have a rechargeable energy storage device, usually a high-voltage battery, which supplies energy to an electric drive motor when the vehicle is in operation. The storage capacity of these high-voltage batteries is limited, so they must be recharged regularly at a charging station. The battery is charged via a charging cable provided between the charging station and the vehicle. The charging cable, for example, in accordance with the European standard IEC 62196 Type 2, is equipped with a charging plug on one end that can be plugged into a charging socket provided on the charging station, and a charging coupling on the other end that can be connected to a charging plug installed in the electric or hybrid vehicle. For the purposes of this invention, charging sockets, charging plugs, charging couplings and charging plugs are all referred to as “charging connectors”.Charging sockets and charging couplings have contact sleeves as charging contacts, and charging plugs and charging plugs that can be installed in electric and hybrid vehicles have contact pins as charging contacts that can be inserted into the contact sleeves.

[0003] As explained, for example, in EP 3 043 421 A1, a charging current flowing through the charging connector causes it to heat up due to ohmic current heat losses. However, the heating of the charging connector is legally limited to a limit temperature increase. For example, according to the IEC 62196-3 standard, the limit temperature increase is limited to 50 K. This in turn leads to a maximum charging current for largely standardized connector geometries that generally cannot exceed 200 A in continuous load operation. However, with intermittent charging of the battery of an electric or hybrid vehicle, higher charging currents over limited periods are necessary in order to charge the battery in the desired short time. This leads to temporary heating of the charging connectors that exceeds the limit temperature increase.However, the cable cross-section of the electrical connection bodies cannot be increased arbitrarily, since the connector geometries are standardized and, in addition, the smallest possible amount of conductive material, usually copper, should be used for the electrical connection bodies.

[0004] According to EP 3 043 421 A1, an electrical connector body is provided that enables increased charging currents with limited heating and therefore has an increased short-term current-carrying capacity. For this purpose, an electrical connector body for a charging plug or charging socket is proposed, wherein the electrical connector body has a first connection region for galvanic connection to an electrical energy receiver and a second connection region for galvanic connection to an electrical energy source. The electrical connector body is designed such that it has a cooling fluid channel formed in the electrical connector body, wherein the cooling fluid channel of the electrical connector body is fluidly connected to a cooling fluid source arranged in a charging station.

[0005] Cooling of a charging connector for electric and hybrid vehicles, which originates from the side of the charging station, is also well known from the prior art. For example, DE 10 2015 119 338 A1 describes two connection points for coolant lines arranged on a contact sleeve element of a charging plug. A spiral-shaped plug-in element guides coolant in a circular manner around the contact sleeve element. The two connection points serve as inlets and outlets for the coolant, which is routed from the charging station to the charging plug. EP 3 433 902 B1 also describes a connector part with cooled contact elements. Here, too, the charging station side provides for the supply of coolant via coolant lines to the contact elements of the charging socket connected to the charging cable.A fluid is provided as a coolant, which is guided perpendicular to the contact element into the hollowed contact element and flows back within the contact element.

[0006] Finally, 10 2016 105 361 B4 also describes a connector part with a cooled contact element. Here, too, a coolant is supplied via coolant lines to the contact elements of a charging socket connected to the charging cable on the charging station side. Guide elements are arranged on the contact elements to ensure that the coolant, in the form of compressed air, flows around the contact elements.

[0007] However, solutions are also known from the state of the art that can also be used with a charging connector that is not cooled directly by the charging station, such as a charging connector built into the vehicle body of an electric or hybrid vehicle, such as a built-in charging connector according to the European standard IEC 62196 Type 2.

[0008] For example, DE 10 2016 107 409 A1 describes a connector part for connecting to a mating connector part, comprising a housing having a plug-in section for plugging into the mating connector part and a contact element arranged on the plug-in section for making electrical contact with an associated mating contact element of the mating connector part. Additionally, a heat pipe connected to the contact element and a heat sink arranged in the housing are provided, which heat sink is in thermally conductive connection with the contact element for dissipating heat from the contact element via the heat pipe. In this way, a connector part with a contact element is provided that can have a high current-carrying capacity, for example, for use in a charging system for charging an electric vehicle.

[0009] Furthermore, DE 20 2019 102 461 U1 describes a connector part for connecting to a mating connector part, comprising a housing, a plug-in section arranged on the housing for plugging into the mating connector part, an electrical contact element arranged on the plug-in section for transmitting a current between the connector part and the mating connector part, and a cooling element arranged on the contact element for cooling the contact element. A fan device is provided for generating an air flow at the cooling element. However, this system and the system described in DE 10 2016 107 409 A1 are very complex.

[0010] Based on this, the object of the present invention is to achieve good heat dissipation in a simple manner in a charging connector which is not itself equipped with a cooling system on the part of a charging station.

[0011] This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Preferred developments of the invention are described in the subclaims.

[0012] According to the invention, a charging connector for electric and hybrid vehicles is thus provided, comprising a housing, charging contacts arranged in the housing and a heat accumulator formed in the housing, wherein the heat accumulator thermally conductively contacts at least one charging contact having a longitudinal axis, so that heat dissipation from the charging contact to the heat accumulator is enabled, and the heat accumulator is mounted on the charging contact so as to slide along the longitudinal axis.

[0013] In this case, a heat storage device is used if the charging connector is equipped with this heat storage device as an additional element, whose sole function is to absorb and store the heat generated during the charging process. In particular, this heat can be stored more effectively with a heat storage device than with the charging contact itself, so that the heating of other components of the charging connector can be delayed.

[0014] The heat accumulator is designed as part of the charging connector in such a way that the heat generated during the charging process can be dissipated by the charging contact and absorbed in the heat accumulator. In principle, the heat accumulator can be formed from various materials. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the heat accumulator contains water or a mixture of water and glycol, or an oil. The oil can be, for example, a mineral oil, a vegetable oil, or a silicone oil. Likewise, the heat accumulator can be a latent heat accumulator in which a phase-change material is arranged.

[0015] It is essential that the heat accumulator is mounted so that it can slide along the longitudinal axis of the charging contact. A charging contact is generally rotationally symmetrical and has a longitudinal axis that extends from a connection area into a plug-in area of ​​the charging connector. Therefore, "radial" in the sense of rotational symmetry means "radially outwardly extending from the longitudinal axis of the charging contact." "Along the radius" refers to a constant radius, i.e., a constant distance from a center point of the cross-section of the charging contact, which in turn is determined by the longitudinal axis, the circular part of the circumference of the cross-section of the charging contact at the respective radius.

[0016] The term "slidingly mounted along the longitudinal axis" means that the heat accumulator can slide along the outer circumference of the charging contact, parallel to the longitudinal axis formed in the charging contact. "Slidingly mounted" means that the heat accumulator makes thermally conductive contact with the charging contact, but is not rigidly attached to it. Rather, it slides along the charging contact, reacting to pressure or tensile forces. This makes the heat accumulator movable within the housing and, depending on the housing design, can be positioned in various ways.

[0017] In principle, it is possible to arrange the heat accumulator in the housing in various ways so that the charging contact is thermally conductively contacted and the heat accumulator can slide along it. According to a preferred development of the invention, however, the heat accumulator has a recess, the charging contact is guided through the recess along the longitudinal axis, and the heat accumulator makes thermally conductive contact with the charging contact by means of a clearance fit. It is particularly preferred that the recess is designed to completely accommodate a part of the charging contact along the longitudinal axis in the recess, so that the heat accumulator encloses part of the charging contact. This means that a circumference of the charging contact is accommodated in the recess along a cross-section of the charging contact perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and is enclosed by the heat accumulator.A thickness of a portion of the charging contact which is enclosed by the heat accumulator is thus determined by an extension of the heat accumulator along the longitudinal axis.

[0018] In this way, the contact area between the heat accumulator and the charging contact is increased. At the same time, the heat accumulator is held in place simply by enclosing the charging contact. Arranging the recess in the heat accumulator ensures a more even distribution of the dissipated heat within the heat accumulator. For this purpose, the recess can be positioned close to the center of the heat accumulator. With a clearance fit, the minimum dimension of the recess is greater than or equal to the maximum dimension of the charging contact, allowing the heat accumulator to slide along the charging contact.

[0019] It is preferred that the charging contact that thermally conductively contacts the heat storage device is a direct current charging contact for direct current charging. Even more preferred is that each direct current charging contact is provided with a heat storage device. Alternatively, two recesses can be formed in a heat storage device, so that a direct current charging contact can be accommodated in each recess.

[0020] It is possible to thermally connect the charging contact and the heat accumulator in various ways. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a thermally conductive paste is arranged between the heat accumulator and the charging contact. For this purpose, the thermally conductive paste can preferably be formed with ceramic particles for improved heat dissipation. Arranging the thermally conductive paste between the heat accumulator and the charging contact enables seamless thermal contact, eliminating heat transfer by convection.

[0021] In principle, the heat accumulator can be held on a bearing in various ways. According to a preferred development of the invention, however, the charging connector is additionally designed with a bearing and a spring element, wherein the bearing is designed along the longitudinal axis of the charging contact, the heat accumulator rests against the bearing, and the spring element is designed on a side of the heat accumulator opposite the bearing, between a housing wall of the housing and the heat accumulator, such that the heat accumulator is held on the bearing by means of the spring element. For this purpose, it can be provided that the spring element coaxially encloses the charging contact. Finally, the heat accumulator is held on the bearing in a position that is advantageous for heat dissipation with the spring element.

[0022] In this case, the spring element can be a compression spring, a wave washer, a disc spring, an elastomer, or another suitable resilient element. Furthermore, the spring element can also be formed integrally with the housing wall.

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the heat accumulator contacts the bearing in a thermally conductive manner. Particularly preferred in this context is that the bearing is formed integrally with the charging contact, and the heat accumulator has a receptacle corresponding to the bearing, so that a stop is formed in the heat accumulator and the bearing can be accommodated in the heat accumulator up to the stop. By applying contact pressure with the spring element to the thermally conductively contacted bearing, a significantly higher heat conduction between the heat accumulator and the bearing is enabled.

[0024] In principle, the bearing can be applied to the heat accumulator in various ways. However, according to a preferred development of the invention, the cross-section of the bearing increases perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the charging contact at an angle of between 10° and 25°, in particular between 15° and 20°, relative to the longitudinal axis, so that a side of the bearing facing the heat accumulator has a smaller cross-section than a side of the bearing opposite the heat accumulator. As a result, a radial pressure acting perpendicular to the longitudinal axis is exerted by the bearing on the heat accumulator, which additionally enables improved heat conduction due to the contact pressure acting along the surface normal of the bearing.

[0025] For this purpose, the bearing can be designed in a variety of ways. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bearing is rotationally symmetrical and coaxial with the longitudinal axis. The bearing therefore has a substantially conical shape.

[0026] According to a further preferred embodiment, the bearing is cuboid-shaped. The bearing can therefore also be pyramid-shaped, which would make it possible to design the bearing and the stop in the heat storage device such that the charging contact can only be inserted into the heat storage device in one way during assembly. At the same time, by inhibiting rotation of the heat storage device, the charging connector becomes more robust against vibrations, such as vehicle vibrations.

[0027] In principle, it is possible to design the housing of the charging connector in various ways. However, according to a preferred development of the invention, the charging connector has at least one clamp forming a hook. The housing is formed with a first housing part and a second housing part arranged opposite the first housing part. The clamp is arranged in the first housing part, extends toward the second housing part, and the hook contacts the side of the heat accumulator facing away from the spring element, so that the heat accumulator and the spring element are held on the housing wall of the first housing part.

[0028] The clamp is preferably spring-loaded, so that the heat accumulator can be brought into a locked position on the first housing part against the spring resistance and held in place with the hook. The spring element is clamped between the housing wall and the heat accumulator, so that the charging contact can finally be arranged with the bearing in the recess and the second housing part can be closed with the first housing part. It is further preferred here that the first housing part has the connection area and the second housing part has the plug-in area, the plug-in area being designed to contact a corresponding charging connector having corresponding charging contacts.

[0029] In principle, it is possible to arrange the spring element in the housing in various ways. However, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the spring element is formed between the heat accumulator and the housing wall of the first housing part arranged opposite the second housing part.

[0030] In the present case, reference is made to a plug-in region of the charging connector according to the invention in which the charging connector, when plugged into the corresponding charging connector, overlaps with the corresponding charging connector in the plug-in direction and the charging contacts of the two connectors are in galvanically conductive contact with one another. Such a plug-in region of a charging connector is generally also defined and geometrically limited in that the charging connector has a device that ensures that the two charging connectors, when plugged in, overlap with one another over a certain maximum length, which corresponds to the fully plugged state of one charging connector into the other charging connector. In a connection region of the charging connector, the charging contacts are galvanically conductively connected to the electrical lines that lead to a vehicle battery.

[0031] When a corresponding charging connector is mentioned here, this means, on the one hand, a charging connector which has the same plug-in face as the charging connector according to the invention, but one plug-in face has contact pins if the other plug-in face has contact sleeves, and vice versa.

[0032] The set comprising the charging connector according to the invention and the corresponding charging connector can therefore be plugged together. On the other hand, the term "corresponding charging connector" is also used here if the plug faces in the aforementioned sense only partially correspond, i.e., the corresponding charging connector, for example, does not have all the contacts present in the charging connector according to the invention, but the existing contacts of the corresponding charging connector correspond to the charging connector according to the invention in terms of their plug faces, so that the charging connector according to the invention and the corresponding charging connector can also be plugged together in this case.

[0033] Such a case occurs, for example, with a charging coupling connected to a charging cable for direct current charging in accordance with the European standard IEC 62196 Type 2. Such a charging coupling can be plugged into a charging plug installed in the body of an electric or hybrid vehicle and suitable for both alternating current and direct current charging, whereby the alternating current plug face of the direct current charging coupling only contains the communication contacts and the protective contact, but no contacts for the outer conductor and a center conductor for alternating current charging.

[0034] The invention also relates to the use of a charging connector according to one of the preceding claims on the vehicle body of an electric or hybrid vehicle. It is particularly preferred that the charging connector is a built-in charging connector, in particular according to the European standard IEC 62196 Type 2.

[0035] Furthermore, the invention relates to a system comprising a charging connector as described above and a charging connector corresponding thereto, wherein the corresponding charging connector is provided with a cooling element that can be supplied with a cooling fluid and the corresponding charging contacts of the corresponding charging connector are designed as contact sleeves into which the charging contacts of the charging connector, designed as contact pins, can be inserted.

[0036] This system is preferably configured to further comprise a charging station and a charging cable connected to the charging station and carrying the corresponding charging connector. The charging station comprises a cooling fluid source, and the charging cable is provided with cooling fluid lines to transport the cooling fluid from the cooling fluid source to the cooling element of the corresponding charging connector and back again. The cooling fluid source of the charging station is configured such that heated cooling fluid returned from the charging connector is cooled again, making it available for cooling again.

[0037] The invention further relates to a method for producing the charging connector described above, comprising the following method steps: arranging the spring element on the housing wall of the first housing part having the at least one clamp, clamping the heat accumulator between the spring element and the hook of the clamp, inserting the charging contact up to the stop formed in the heat accumulator, and closing the housing with the second housing part. Because the clamp holds the structure comprising the spring element and heat accumulator to the housing wall of the first housing, a faster and more advantageous insertion of the charging contact into the housing of the charging connector is possible.

[0038] The invention is described in more detail below with reference to the drawings using preferred embodiments.

[0039] The drawings show Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a charging connector according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 2 one to the connector from Fig. 1 corresponding connector, Fig. 3a schematically shows the charging connector Fig. 1 in a sectional view, Fig. 3b schematically shows the charging connector according to a further preferred embodiment of the invention in a sectional view and Fig. 4 schematically shows a system with a charging connector, a corresponding charging connector, a charging cable, a charging station and a cooling system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0040] Out of Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a charging connector 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. This is a charging plug for installation in the vehicle body 17 of an electric or hybrid vehicle 18, as shown schematically in Fig. 4. The present charging connector 1 is essentially, and in terms of its mating face, a charging plug in accordance with the European standard IEC 62196 Type 2. In addition to AC charging contacts (not further identified by reference numerals), a protective contact, and communication contacts, the charging connector 1 has two charging contacts 2 for DC charging.

[0041] The charging connector 1 can be coupled with a corresponding charging connector 4, which is Fig. 2. This is a charging connector that can be attached to a charging cable and connected to the charging plug. The charging connector shown here as an example is for direct current charging and therefore has corresponding direct current charging contacts 3, a protective contact, and communication contacts. Both the charging plug and the connector shown here comply with the European standard IEC 62196 in terms of their connector face.

[0042] The charging connector 1 has a housing 7 formed by a first housing part 9 and a second housing part 11. For this purpose, the charging connector has a plug-in area 24 in the second housing part 11 and a connection area 22 in the first housing part 9. The plug-in area 24 is defined as an area in which the charging connector 1, when plugged into the corresponding charging connector 4, overlaps with the corresponding charging connector 4 in the plug-in direction, and the charging contacts 2, 3, which in this specific embodiment are DC charging contacts, of the two connectors 1, 4 are in galvanically conductive contact with one another. The connection area 22 is defined as an area in which the charging contacts 2 of the charging connector are galvanically conductively connected to electrical lines (not further designated) that lead from the charging connector 1 to a battery (not further shown).

[0043] The Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b is the charging connector 1 from Fig. 1 in a sectional view. There it can be seen that a heat accumulator 5 with a recess 8 encloses the charging contact 2 along a longitudinal axis of the charging contact 2. A spring element 14 coaxially enclosing the charging contact 2 is arranged between the heat accumulator 5 and a housing wall 26 of the first housing part 9. The charging contact 2 itself has a bearing 12 which rests against a stop 16 arranged in the recess 8. The bearing 12 is rotationally symmetrical and widens conically towards the housing wall 26 of the second housing part 11. A cross-section of the bearing 12 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the charging contact 2 increases at an angle of 20° relative to the longitudinal axis, so that the side of the bearing 12 facing the heat accumulator 5 has a smaller cross-section than the side of the bearing 12 facing the housing wall 26 of the second housing part 11.

[0044] In Fig. 3b now additionally shows two clamps 19, which are formed integrally with the first housing part 9 and extend toward the second housing part 11. The clamps 19 have hooks 20 that engage with the side of the heat accumulator facing the second housing part 11, so that the heat accumulator is held by the spring element 14 on the housing wall 26 of the first housing part 9. This facilitates, in particular, the insertion of the charging contact 2 into the housing 7 of the charging connector 1 during assembly.

[0045] It has already been mentioned above that the charging connector 1 is used in the form of a built-in plug on the vehicle body 17 of an electric or hybrid vehicle 18. In this context, Fig.4, which schematically shows a system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, comprising a charging connector 1 installed in a vehicle body 17 of an electric or hybrid vehicle 18, a corresponding charging connector 4, a charging station 29, and a charging cable 28 connected to the charging station 29 and carrying the corresponding charging connector 4. What is essential in this preferred embodiment of the invention is that the corresponding charging connector 4 is provided with a cooling element 27 to which a cooling fluid can be applied for cooling the corresponding charging contacts 3.In order to achieve cooling of the corresponding charging contacts 3 via the cooling elements 27, the charging station 29 is provided with a cooling fluid source 10 and the charging cable 28 has cooling fluid lines 30 in order to transport the cooling fluid from the cooling fluid source 10 to the cooling element 27 of the corresponding charging connector 4 and back again.

[0046] Because the charging connector 1 installed in the vehicle body 17 of the electric or hybrid vehicle 18 is now engaged with the corresponding charging contacts 3 on the charging station side during the charging process, the heat generated during the charging process is, on the one hand, absorbed in the heat accumulator 5 and, on the other hand, subjected to the charging station-side cooling through the thermal coupling between the charging connector 1 installed in the vehicle body 17 of the electric or hybrid vehicle 18 and the corresponding charging connector 4 attached to the charging cable 28 when the two charging connectors 1, 4 are plugged in. In this way, the active cooling in the corresponding charging connector 4 with the cooling fluid originating from the cooling fluid source can also be indirectly used to cool the charging connector 1 installed in the vehicle body 17 of the electric or hybrid vehicle 18. List of reference symbols 1 charging connector 2 charging contacts 3 corresponding charging contact 4 corresponding charging connectors 5 heat storage 7 housings 8 recess 9 first housing part 10 Cooling fluid source 11 second housing part 12 camps 14 Spring element 16 stops 17 Vehicle body 18 Electric or hybrid vehicle 19 bracket 20 hooks 21 charging cables 22 Connection area 24 plug-in area 26 Housing wall 27 Cooling element 28 charging cables 29 charging station 30 Cooling fluid line QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] EP 3 043 421 A1 [0003, 0004] DE 10 2015 119 338 A1

[0005] EP 3 433 902 B1

[0005] DE 10 2016 107 409 A1 [0008, 0009] DE 20 2019 102 461 U1

[0009]

Claims

[1] Charging connector (1) for electric and hybrid vehicles (18), with a housing (7), charging contacts (2) arranged in the housing (7), a heat accumulator (5) formed in the housing, wherein the heat accumulator thermally conductively contacts at least one charging contact (2) having a longitudinal axis, so that heat transfer from the charging contact (2) to the heat accumulator is possible, and the heat accumulator is mounted slidingly along the longitudinal axis on the charging contact (2). [2] Charging connector (1) according to claim 1, wherein the heat accumulator has a recess (8), the charging contact (2) is guided along the longitudinal axis through the recess (8), and the heat accumulator (5) makes thermally conductive contact with the charging contact (2) by means of a clearance fit. [3] Charging connector (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a thermally conductive paste is arranged between the heat accumulator (5) and the charging contact (2). [4] Charging connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims with a bearing (12) and a spring element (14), wherein the bearing (12) is formed along the longitudinal axis of the charging contact (2), the heat accumulator (5) rests against the bearing (12), and the spring element (14) is formed on a side of the heat accumulator (5) arranged opposite the bearing (12) between a housing wall of the housing (7) and the heat accumulator (5), so that the heat accumulator (5) is held on the bearing (12) by means of the spring element (14). [5] Charging connector (1) according to claim 4, wherein the heat accumulator (5) contacts the bearing (12) in a thermally conductive manner. [6] Charging connector (1) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the bearing (12) is formed integrally with the charging contact (2), and the heat accumulator (5) has a receptacle corresponding to the bearing (12), so that a stop (16) is formed in the heat accumulator (5) and the bearing (12) can be received in the heat accumulator (5) up to the stop (16). [7] Charging connector (1) according to claim 6, wherein a cross section of the bearing (12) perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the charging contact (2) increases at an angle between 10° and 25°, in particular between 15° and 20° relative to the longitudinal axis, so that a side of the bearing (12) facing the heat accumulator (5) has a smaller cross section than a side of the bearing (12) arranged opposite the heat accumulator (5). [8] Charging connector (1) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the bearing (12) is rotationally symmetrical and coaxial to the longitudinal axis. [9] Charging connector (1) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the bearing (12) is cuboid-shaped. [10] Charging connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, with at least one clamp (19) forming a hook (20), wherein the housing (7) is formed with a first housing part (9) and a second housing part (11) arranged opposite the first housing part (9), the clamp (19) is arranged in the first housing part (9), extends towards the second housing part (11) and the hook (20) contacts the side of the heat accumulator (5) facing away from the spring element (14), so that the heat accumulator (5) and the spring element (14) are held on the housing wall (26) of the first housing part (9). [11] Charging connector (1) according to claim 10, wherein the spring element (14) is formed between the heat accumulator (5) and the housing wall (26) of the first housing part (9) arranged opposite the second housing part (11). [12] Use of a charging connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims on the vehicle body (17) of an electric or hybrid vehicle (18). [13] System comprising a charging connector (1) according to one of claims 1 to 11 and a charging connector (4) corresponding thereto, wherein the corresponding charging connector (4) is provided with a cooling element (27) which can be supplied with a cooling fluid and the corresponding charging contacts (3) of the corresponding charging connector (4) are designed as contact sleeves into which the charging contacts (2) of the charging connector (1), designed as contact pins, can be inserted. [14] System according to claim 10, further comprising a charging station (29) and a charging cable (28) connected to the charging station (20) and carrying the corresponding charging connector (4), wherein the charging station (29) has a cooling fluid source (10) and the charging cable (28) is provided with cooling fluid lines (30) to transport the cooling fluid from the cooling fluid source (10) to the cooling element (27) of the corresponding charging connector (4) and back again. [15] Method for producing a charging connector (1) according to one of claims 9 or 10, comprising the following method steps: S1) Arranging the spring element (14) on the housing wall (26) of the first housing part (9) having the at least one clamp (19), S2) Clamping the heat accumulator (5) between the spring element (14) and the hook (20) of the clamp (19), S3) Inserting the charging contact (2) up to the stop (16) formed in the heat accumulator (5), and S4) Closing the housing (7) with the second housing part (11).

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