Device for contacting an air compressor, in particular of a motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for contacting an air compressor, in particular of a motor vehicle, comprising at least one contact part (11) for electrically contacting at least one connection (21) for a stator (1) of an electric motor of the air compressor (2) with a power supply, in particular with an inverter, wherein the contact part (11) is provided with at least one separating region (10) in order to seal an interior space (12) of the air compressor (2), which serves to accommodate compressed medium, in particular a stator chamber (12), wherein the contact part (11) comprises at least one flexible section (28) for tolerance compensation and a solid body section (32), wherein the flexible section (28) comprises at least one meandering section (27), wherein the solid body section (32) has at least one contact point (18) for contacting the stator connection (21),wherein the separation region (10) is arranged between the solid body section (32) and the flexible section (28).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for contacting an air compressor, in particular of a motor vehicle, according to the preamble of the independent claim. State of the art

[0002] DE 102021206247 A1 discloses a contact part and a plug-in connection with a contact part. To accommodate a contact pin, the contact part has a first and a second socket-like end section, with at least one spring-elastic contact element for electrically contacting the respective contact pin being accommodated in at least one end section. This involves a complex sealing of the contact point, as it must be sealed against increased pressure.

[0003] The invention is based on the object of enabling improved contacting and sealing of an air compressor. This object is achieved by the features of the independent claim. Disclosure of the invention

[0004] The device according to the features of independent claim 1 has the advantage that contacting of a stator of an air compressor, in particular a high-speed air compressor for a fuel cell, can take place outside a region with increased air pressure. According to the invention, the contact part is provided with at least one separating region in order to seal an interior of the air compressor which serves to accommodate compressed medium, wherein the contact part comprises at least one flexible section for tolerance compensation and a solid body section, wherein the flexible section comprises at least one meandering section, wherein the solid body section has at least one contact point for contacting the stator connection, and wherein the separating region is arranged between the solid body section and the flexible section.The contact part itself serves to separate the stator chamber, which is subject to increased pressure compared to, for example, the inverter interior. At the same time, tolerances are compensated by the appropriate design of the contact part. A uniform manufacturing process for the contact part can be used.

[0005] In a practical further development, the solid section and the flexible section are formed as a single piece. This allows a uniform manufacturing process, such as a machining process, particularly a milling process, to be used to produce the contact part with sealing and tolerance compensation functions. This simplifies and accelerates the production of the contact part.

[0006] In a practical development, at least one sealing point for accommodating at least one seal is provided between the contact part and / or an insulating part at least partially surrounding the contact part and a housing at least partially surrounding the contact part. By separating the sealing point and the contact point, the contact point can be protected from the increased pressure, particularly from compressed air.

[0007] In a practical development, several meandering sections are provided. This allows the flexibility of this section to be influenced as desired.

[0008] In a suitable refinement, the contact part comprises at least one additional solid body section. Particularly preferably, the flexible section is arranged between the two solid body sections. The additional solid body section allows for an improved connection of the contacts to the inverter while maintaining sufficient stability.

[0009] In a suitable further development, at least one opening, in particular a blind hole, is provided in the solid body section for accommodating a fastening element, in particular a screw connection, for connecting the stator of the electric motor of the compressor. The connection between the contact part and the connection is made after the separation area.

[0010] In a suitable development, at least one terminal is connected to the contact part at at least one contact point via the connection, in particular a screw connection and / or a plug connection and / or a crimp connection. This ensures the necessary contact force.

[0011] In a practical development, the contact part is provided for connection to at least one contact, in particular a terminal contact of an inverter for a printed circuit board. This allows for simple assembly.

[0012] In a practical development, the sealing point comprises a cylindrical contour of the housing and / or the contact part and / or the insulation part. This further simplifies manufacturing. Furthermore, cost-effective O-rings can be used as sealing elements at the respective sealing points.

[0013] In a practical development, several contact parts are provided for contacting several phases of the stator of the electric motor. This allows uniform contact parts to be used for contacting an electric motor. Particularly preferably, the insulation part is designed to accommodate several contact parts, which further simplifies production.

[0014] Further useful developments arise from further dependent claims and from the description. Short description of the drawing

[0015] They show: Fig. 1 a section through a device for contacting and sealing on the stator of an air compressor and Fig. 2 a cross-section through an air compressor. Embodiment of the invention

[0016] The invention is illustrated schematically using an embodiment and is described in detail below with reference to the drawing.

[0017] Fig. 1 shows a stator 1 of an electric motor of an air compressor 2. In this case, the stator 1 of the air compressor 2, in particular a high-speed fuel cell air compressor 2, is to be contacted outside of an area with increased air pressure or compressed medium 19. The stator 1 preferably comprises a cooling sleeve 40 and / or a stator iron 42 and / or a winding head 44, as roughly indicated. The stator 1 of the electric motor, for example in a motor vehicle, is connected to a power supply. For example, an inverter 14 is provided for the power supply, which converts the direct voltage available in the vehicle into an alternating voltage. For this purpose, the inverter 14 could, for example, comprise a B6 bridge, which can be arranged on a circuit board 23. Due to the high currents required to drive the electric motor, this can be a high-voltage connection (for example greater than 60 V for direct voltage orgreater than 30 V for alternating current, etc. in the automotive sector). In the exemplary embodiment, three contacts 24 designed as clamp contacts are shown, which, for reasons of current-carrying capacity, are each connected in parallel to one another and feed a phase of the stator 1 of the electric motor of the air compressor 2. Not shown are additional phases U, V, W, for example, in a three-phase electric motor.

[0018] For connecting the stator 1 to a power supply, a contact part 11 is provided with a separating area 10. Via this separating area 10, an interior space 12, also referred to as the stator space, with compressed medium 19 or increased air pressure is separated from a space 13, in particular an inverter interior space, with non-compressed medium or essentially ambient air pressure by the contact part 11 itself. For this purpose, the contact part 11 comprises the flexible section 28 for tolerance compensation. The flexible section 28 is in the embodiment according to Fig. 1 is formed by meandering sections 28. The contact part 11 can preferably be formed from a flexible section and a solid section 32. The meandering regions 27 thus create the flexible section 28 for tolerance compensation. The contact part 11 thus serves to compensate for tolerances. The meandering sections 27 are to be dimensioned in their cross-section such that the current connection between the clamping contact 24 and the solid section 32 or the contact point 18 of the contact part 11 is ensured with sufficient current-carrying capacity. A meandering region 27 is understood, for example, to be a preferably strip-shaped conductor which is characterized by at least one U-shaped section in which the direction changes, for example, by 90° relative to the main axis of the contact part 11, preferably several times.As a result, the flexible section 28 becomes movable, particularly in the direction of the main axis of the contact part 11, and can therefore be shortened or lengthened accordingly, or even move slightly at a certain angle relative to the main axis of the contact part 11. However, other configurations are also conceivable, ensuring the flexibility of the flexible section 28.

[0019] The meandering section 27 of the contact part 11 merges into the solid body section 32 in the separation area 10. Thus, with a suitable selection of the cross-section of the separation area 10, a reliable seal is achieved between the high-pressure part of the stator interior 12 and the inverter interior 14, which is essentially at ambient air pressure. The contact part 11 has a further solid body section 33, which is arranged between the flexible section 28 and the contact(s) 24. The further solid body section 33 essentially has the same cross-section as the solid body section 32. If necessary, the cross-section or the external dimensions of the flexible section 27 can also correspond to the solid body sections 32, 33.

[0020] In the solid body section 32 of the contact part 11, in the area opposite the separating area 10, a threaded opening 34 or a blind hole is provided for receiving a screw connection 22 for contacting the contact part 11 with a stator connection 21 at a contact point 18.

[0021] The contact part 11 is at least partially covered or surrounded by an insulating part 15 to ensure electrical insulation. The contact part 11 and the insulating part 15 at least partially surrounding the contact part 11 are arranged in a recess of a housing 8. The inner contour of the insulating part 15 essentially corresponds to the outer contour of the contact part 11. It is designed as a hollow body and / or sleeve-shaped. The insulating part 15 is arranged between the contact part 11 and a corresponding recess in the housing 18.

[0022] Sealing points 16 are arranged to provide a complete, essentially fluid-tight seal between the contact part 11 and the insulation part 15. Furthermore, further sealing points 17 are provided between the insulation part 15 and the housing 8. These sealing points 16, 17 are preferably arranged upstream of the contact point 18. By separating the sealing points 16, 17 and the contact point 18, the contact points 18, 24 can be arranged downstream of the sealing point and are thus protected from the increased air pressure of the compressed air 19.

[0023] Advantageously, the geometry of the sealing point(s) 16, 17 is designed in the form of a cylindrical contour 20. This simplifies manufacturing. This allows the use of cost-effective O-rings as sealing elements.

[0024] Optionally, an additional sealing point 25 or a splash guard can be provided to protect the sealing point 16, 17 from direct water ingress. The additional sealing point 25 or splash guard is arranged between the insulating part 15 and an overmolding 26 of the connection 21. The surface of the insulating part 15 that receives the seal can be cylindrical at the sealing point 25, so that the additional sealing point 25 can be provided with a circumferential sealing ring, optionally with outwardly projecting bead-like projections.

[0025] The connection of contact part 11 and terminal 21 or stator terminal 21 in the contact point 18 is made in the embodiment according to Fig. 1 by means of a screw connection 22. Alternatively, a plug connection, a crimp connection, or similar could also be used. The connection between the contact part 11 and the terminal 21 at the contact point 18 is made after the sealing point 16, 17 (as seen from the inverter 14) to ensure the necessary contact force. The terminal 21 is surrounded by an overmolding 26 for insulation reasons.

[0026] The contacting of a circuit board 23 of the inverter 14 can be done by means of a clamp contact 24 to enable easy assembly.

[0027] It is an optional arrangement of additional insulation (not in Fig. 1) to maintain clearance and creepage distances.

[0028] The Fig.The contact shown in Figure 1 on the stator 1 of the electric motor of the air compressor 2 is made outside of an area with increased pressure or air pressure. The seal can be made on each phase pin for a three-phase motor (U, V, W) of the stator 1 and on a common sealing surface toward the inverter 14. Alternatively, the seal could be made on the individual conductors (U, V, W).

[0029] The field of application includes electrical machines or electric drives whose windings are connected in particular by means of so-called busbars, such as air compressors or air compressors 2 for supplying fuel cell stacks with oxygen from the air. The air compressor 2 is particularly preferably used in a motor vehicle. However, its use is not limited to this. 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] DE 102021206247 A1

[0002]

Claims

[1] A device for contacting an air compressor (2), in particular of a motor vehicle, comprising at least one contact part (11) for electrically contacting at least one terminal (21) for a stator (1) of an electric motor of the air compressor (2) with a power supply, in particular with an inverter (14), wherein the contact part (11) is provided with at least one separating region (10) in order to seal an interior space (12) of the air compressor (2), which serves to accommodate compressed medium, in particular a stator chamber (12), wherein the contact part (11) comprises at least one flexible section (28) for tolerance compensation and a solid body section (32), wherein the flexible section (28) comprises at least one meandering section (27), wherein the solid body section (32) has at least one contact point (18) for contacting the stator terminal (21),wherein the separation region (10) is arranged between the solid body section (32) and the flexible section (28). [2] Device according to claim 1, characterized by that the solid body section (32) and the flexible section (28) are formed in one piece. [3] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that at least one sealing point (16, 17, 25) for receiving at least one seal is provided between the contact part (11) and / or an insulating part (15) at least partially surrounding the contact part (11) and a housing (8) at least partially surrounding the contact part (11). [4] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the flexible section (28) comprises several meander-shaped sections (27). [5] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the contact part (11) comprises at least one further solid body section (33). [6] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the flexible section (27) is arranged between the two solid body sections (32,33). [7] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that in the solid body section (32) at least one opening (34), in particular a blind hole, is provided for receiving a fastening (22), in particular a screw connection, for the connection (21) for the stator (1) of the electric motor of the air compressor (2). [8] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that at least one terminal (21) is contacted with the contact part (11) in at least one contact point (18) via a connection (22), in particular a screw connection and / or a plug connection and / or a crimp connection. [9] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the contact part (11) is provided for connection to at least one contact (24), in particular a terminal contact (24) of an inverter (14) for a printed circuit board (23). [10] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the sealing point comprises a cylindrical contour (20) of the housing (8) and / or the contact part (11) and / or the insulation part (15). [11] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that at least one sealing means is provided at the sealing point (16, 17), in particular designed as an O-ring. [12] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that several contact parts (11) are each provided for contacting several phases of the stator (1) of the electric motor. [13] Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the insulating part (15) is designed to accommodate a plurality of contact parts (11).

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