Electrical connection apparatus and electric truck

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrical connection apparatus and an electric truck. The electrical connection apparatus is used for the establishment of a high-voltage electrical connection between a trailer and a tractor. The electrical connection apparatus comprises a trailer coupling device and a tractor coupling device, wherein the trailer coupling device has a kingpin assembly; the tractor coupling device has a base; and the kingpin assembly can be inserted into a kingpin passage hole of the base. An electrical plug assembly is further provided in the base of the tractor coupling device; an electrical plug of the electrical plug assembly can be plugged into a socket of the kingpin assembly and electrically connected to the socket. When the electrical plug assembly is plugged into the socket, by means of a locking mechanism, torsion-resistant mechanical locking is achieved between the electrical plug assembly and the socket. By means of a first friction pair, a positive electrode of the electrical plug assembly is electrically connected to a positive lead-out wire and can rotate relative thereto; by means of a second friction pair, a negative electrode of the electrical plug assembly is electrically connected to a negative lead-out wire and can rotate relative thereto. The electric truck has the electrical connection apparatus according to the present invention.

Description

Electrical connection devices and electric trucks

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202310952214.8 filed on August 1, 2023, and the contents of the above-mentioned Chinese patent application disclosure are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as a part of this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to an electrical connection device for establishing a high-voltage electrical connection between a trailer and a tractor. The present invention also relates to an electric truck having the electrical connection device according to the present invention. Background Art

[0003] The tractor and trailer of a truck are typically connected by a saddle mounted on the tractor and a pin mounted on the trailer. While connecting the tractor and trailer, the saddle and pin also enable relative angular rotation between the truck and trailer, such as during cornering. In electric trucks, the battery pack is typically mounted on the tractor's chassis. Electrical components installed in the trailer, such as lighting, lifting equipment, or refrigeration equipment in refrigerated trucks, require power from the battery pack. Therefore, in addition to the mechanical connection, an electrical connection is also required between the tractor and trailer.

[0004] Prior art systems are known for automatically connecting a trailer's wiring harness and air pipes. The electrical connection between the tractor and trailer is established via sockets and plugs installed on the tractor and trailer. After the sockets and plugs are plugged in, the flexibility of the high-voltage wires compensates for any relative angular rotation between the tractor and trailer. A disadvantage of this solution is that the high-voltage wires can repeatedly twist as the tractor and trailer rotate relative to each other, leading to insulation failure.

[0005] The prior art also discloses methods for achieving a mechanical and electrical connection between a tractor and a trailer, wherein pluggable electrical couplings are rotatable relative to one another. In this case, both the electrical connection and the relative rotation between the tractor and trailer are achieved via the pluggable electrical couplings. However, this method does not address the issue of ensuring the reliability of the preload between the pluggable electrical connectors during relative rotation.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electrical connection device for establishing a high-voltage electrical connection between a trailer and a tractor, which realizes a reliable and durable electrical connection between the tractor and the trailer.

[0008] According to the present invention, the electrical connection device includes a trailer connection device and a tractor connection device, wherein the trailer connection device has a towing pin assembly, the tractor connection device has a base, the towing pin assembly can be inserted into the towing pin through-hole of the base, and the base of the tractor connection device also has an electric plug assembly, the electric plug of the electric plug assembly can be inserted into the socket of the towing pin assembly and electrically connected to the socket, wherein when the electric plug assembly is inserted into the socket, the electric plug assembly and the socket are mechanically locked against rotation by a locking mechanism, and the positive pole of the electric plug assembly is electrically connected to the positive pole lead wire through a first friction pair so as to be able to rotate relative to each other, and the negative pole of the electric plug assembly is electrically connected to the negative pole lead wire through a second friction pair so as to be able to rotate relative to each other.

[0009] According to the present invention, a reliable electrical connection between the tractor and trailer is achieved through a torsionally rigid mechanical lock between the electrical plug assembly and the socket. Simultaneously, by electrically connecting the positive and negative poles of the electrical plug assembly to the positive and negative lead wires via friction pairs so that they can rotate relative to each other, the electrical connection and relative rotation are decoupled. This prevents repeated bending and twisting of the high-voltage line during relative rotation between the tractor and trailer, thereby preventing insulation failure.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the traction pin assembly includes a first housing, in which the socket and corresponding electrical wiring are arranged, and the electrical plug assembly includes a second housing having an opening on its upper end. The positive electrode needle for the positive pole and the negative electrode needle for the negative pole are arranged in the second housing and can extend from the opening. In a preferred embodiment, the positive electrode needle and the negative electrode needle can be extended from the opening by a lifting device. This creates a torsionally fixed mechanical lock between the electrical plug assembly and the socket, and the electrical connection between the two can be achieved separately, thereby achieving a more secure electrical connection. In other words, the mechanical lock provides a reliable guarantee and prerequisite for the electrical connection. In addition, according to one embodiment, it is also possible for the positive electrode needle and the negative electrode needle to move together with the second housing.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a first friction pairing comprises a first slip ring and a positive-pole contact disposed on the second housing, and a second friction pairing comprises a second slip ring and a negative-pole contact disposed on the second housing. The first slip ring is rotatably clamped along its own circumference to the positive-pole contact with a predetermined preload, and the second slip ring is rotatably clamped along its own circumference to the negative-pole contact with a predetermined preload. The first slip ring is electrically connected to the positive-pole lead via the positive-pole contact rod, and the second slip ring is electrically connected to the negative-pole lead via the negative-pole contact rod. The friction pairing enables connection between the positive and negative-pole pins of the electrical plug assembly and the positive and negative-pole lead wires with a predetermined preload. This preload can be maintained constant regardless of the connection function, thereby ensuring continuous and reliable transmission of high-voltage current between the tractor and trailer.

[0012] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electric plug assembly includes a drive device for driving the electric plug between a connected position and a disconnected position. After the towing pin assembly is inserted into the towing pin through-hole in the base, the drive device drives the electric plug of the electric plug assembly into a socket in the towing pin assembly, thereby reaching the connected position. The drive device is designed as a gear drive device, comprising a drive motor, a drive pinion connected to the drive motor, and an annular driven gear, the external teeth of the driven gear meshing with the drive pinion. The second housing is designed as a hollow screw, and the internal threads of the driven gear mesh with the screw, enabling the drive motor to drive the screw upward and downward. The drive device according to the present invention achieves an automated electrical connection between the tractor and trailer, improving reliability and safety.

[0013] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the locking mechanism between the electrical plug assembly and the socket comprises a first locking member disposed on the socket and a second locking member disposed on the electrical plug assembly. The first locking member can be driven together during the driving process of the electrical plug and extend into the second locking member. Upon completion of the plug-in connection, the first locking member engages with the second locking member to achieve a torsionally fixed mechanical lock between the electrical plug assembly and the socket. This locking mechanism achieves a very simple mechanical lock and is highly reliable during operation.

[0014] In an alternative or additional design scheme, a positioning pin is provided in the first shell, and a positioning hole for the positioning pin is provided in the second shell. When the driving device drives the second shell close to the first shell, the positioning pin in the electric plug assembly is inserted into the positioning hole in the socket, thereby achieving mutual alignment of the electric plug and the socket in a simple manner and in particular simplifying the engagement of the locking member.

[0015] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a seal is provided around the first locking member and / or the second locking member. The seal may be made of an elastic material, such as rubber. This seal, on the one hand, provides a seal between the socket and the housing of the electrical plug assembly, thereby preventing dirt and moisture from entering the housing and further improving the reliability of the electrical connection. On the other hand, the elastic seal reduces vibration and mechanical impact between the socket and the housing of the electrical plug assembly and advantageously achieves tolerance compensation.

[0016] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one stop is provided on the electric plug assembly, thereby simply preventing the driving device from overdriving the electric plug during driving and thereby damaging the electric plug and the socket.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tow pin assembly includes a first housing, in which the socket and corresponding electrical wiring are disposed, and the electrical plug assembly includes a second housing, in which the electrical plug and corresponding electrical wiring are disposed. These housings protect the electrical connection between the electrical plug and the socket from environmental influences and provide mechanical support for the electrical connection, thereby preventing external forces from acting on the electrical connection.

[0018] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bottom of the tractor coupling device is at least partially elastically connected to the tractor. The bottom of the tractor coupling device is elastically connected to the tractor, for example, via an elastic material or elastic element, such as a spring. This simply avoids shock loads and improves the reliability of the electrical connection between the trailer coupling device and the tractor coupling device.

[0019] The present invention also relates to an electric truck having an electrical connection device according to the present invention, and comprising a tractor and a trailer, wherein the tractor connection device is arranged on the tractor and the trailer connection device is arranged on the trailer. The electric truck according to the present invention achieves a highly reliable electrical connection between the tractor and the trailer, avoiding many of the disadvantages of the prior art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The above features and advantages of the present invention and the manner of achieving them are described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the features of the specific embodiments. In the accompanying drawings:

[0021] FIG1 shows a trailer coupling device and a tractor coupling device according to the invention in an unconnected state;

[0022] FIG. 2 shows the trailer coupling device and the tractor coupling device according to the invention in the coupled state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Figure 1 shows a three-dimensional view of a trailer connection device and a tractor connection device according to the present invention in an unconnected state. The trailer connection device includes a tow pin assembly 1, which has a first housing 11. In this embodiment, the first housing is exemplarily designed to have a rotationally symmetrical shape, although other shapes are also possible. The first housing has openings on both the upper and lower ends. The positive terminal 12, negative terminal 13, and ground pin 14 extend through the upper opening, while a socket is located in the lower opening. A first locking member is also provided around the lower opening. In this embodiment, the first locking member is designed, for example, as a plurality of grooves distributed around the periphery.

[0024] The tractor connection device has a base (not shown in the drawings), such as a saddle, into which a towing pin assembly can be inserted. An electrical plug assembly 2 is located within the base. This electrical plug assembly has a second housing 21 with an opening at its upper end. The positive and negative pins 22 and 23 of the electrical plug are arranged within the second housing and can extend through the opening at the upper end of the second housing. A second locking element is disposed around the opening. This second locking element, for example, is designed as a corresponding projection or pin to the first locking element. Together with the first locking element on the first housing, the second locking element on the second housing forms a locking mechanism that provides a torsion-resistant mechanical lock between the electrical plug assembly and the socket.

[0025] The electrical plug assembly includes a drive mechanism, such as the gear drive mechanism shown in Figure 1 , comprising a drive motor 24, a drive pinion 25 connected to the drive motor, and an annular driven gear 26, the external teeth of which mesh with the drive pinion. In this embodiment, the second housing can be designed as a hollow screw, the external threads of which mesh with the internal threads of the driven gear. This allows the second housing to rise and fall when the driven gear is driven in two directions by the drive mechanism and the drive pinion. A first stop 213 is also provided on the second housing. When the second housing is driven upward, the first stop abuts against the driven gear when the second housing reaches a predetermined height, preventing the second housing from being overdriven and potentially damaging the electrical plug and socket.

[0026] The positive lead 27 of the electrical plug assembly is connected to the positive pin on the side facing away from the socket via a first friction pair and a positive contact rod 29. The negative lead 28 is connected to the negative pin via a second friction pair and a negative contact rod 210. The first friction pair consists of a first slip ring and a positive contact arranged on the second housing, while the second friction pair consists of a second slip ring and a negative contact arranged on the second housing. The first slip ring is rotatably clamped to the positive contact with a predetermined preload force, while the second slip ring is rotatably clamped to the negative contact with a predetermined preload force. The first slip ring is electrically connected to the positive lead via the positive contact rod, while the second slip ring is electrically connected to the negative lead via the negative contact rod. The second friction pair is constructed identically to the first friction pair. In an alternative embodiment, the contacts of the positive and negative electrode needle posts at the ends remote from the socket are, for example, designed as mutually insulated concentric cylinders. The positive electrode contact is, for example, arranged as a hollow cylinder outside the negative electrode contact, and the negative electrode contact extends below the positive electrode contact. Corresponding openings are provided in the second housing, allowing the first and second slip rings to independently connect to the positive and negative electrode contacts, respectively, with a preload. Furthermore, a second stop 214 is provided at the end of the second housing remote from the first housing to prevent the first and second slip rings from falling off the second housing if accidentally subjected to an external force exceeding the preload.

[0027] In addition, a sealing member, for example, a sealing ring 211, is provided around the second locking member at the upper end side of the second housing to achieve a seal between the first housing and the second housing. It is also conceivable that a sealing ring is also provided around the first locking member on the end side of the first housing facing the second housing.

[0028] FIG2 shows a perspective view of the trailer connection device and the tractor connection device according to the present invention in the connected state. When the drive device drives the second housing, along with the electrical plug disposed therein, toward the socket, the second locking member extends into the first locking member, thereby positioning the second housing relative to the first housing. As the drive device further drives the second housing upward, the electrical plug is inserted into the socket, completing the electrical connection. Simultaneously, the second locking member engages with the first locking member, achieving a torsionally fixed mechanical lock between the first and second housings.

[0029] In an alternative or additional embodiment, the second shell and the electrical plug are capable of moving axially relative to each other, and the electrical plug itself has a lifting device. During the connection process, the driving device of the second shell drives the second shell to move upward in the direction of the first shell, so that the second locking member engages with the first locking member and achieves mechanical locking. Then the lifting device of the electric plug drives the positive needle post and the negative needle post of the electric plug to move upward in the direction of the socket, so that they are inserted into the socket to achieve electrical connection.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the end of the positive lead wire connected to the positive contact rod and the end of the negative lead wire connected to the negative contact rod are designed to be in the form of a clip, and the positive contact rod and the negative contact rod can be respectively slidably arranged in the corresponding clips with a preset preload force, so that when the second shell moves upward together with the first friction pair and the second friction pair, the positive contact rod and the negative contact rod can slide relative to each other while maintaining electrical connection with the positive lead wire and the negative lead wire.

[0031] In an alternative or additional embodiment, the electrical plug assembly also has at least one positioning pin 212, which can move together with the second shell. When the driving device drives the second shell to move upward toward the first shell, the positioning pin can be inserted into the corresponding positioning hole of the first shell.

[0032] Those skilled in the art should understand that the above-mentioned specific embodiments are merely examples and not limitations, and that various modifications, combinations, partial combinations and replacements may be made to the embodiments of the present invention according to design requirements and other factors. As long as they are within the scope of the attached claims or their equivalents, they fall within the scope of rights to be protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrical connection device for establishing a high voltage electrical connection between a trailer and a tractor, wherein: The electrical connection device includes a trailer connection device and a tractor connection device, characterized in that the trailer connection device has a traction pin assembly, the tractor connection device has a base, the traction pin assembly can be inserted into the traction pin through-hole of the base, and the base of the tractor connection device also has an electric plug assembly, the electric plug of the electric plug assembly can be inserted into the socket of the traction pin assembly and electrically connected to the socket, wherein when the electric plug assembly is inserted into the socket, the electric plug assembly and the socket are mechanically locked against rotation by a locking mechanism, and the positive pole of the electric plug assembly is electrically connected to the positive pole lead wire through a first friction pair so as to be relatively rotatable, and the negative pole of the electric plug assembly is electrically connected to the negative pole lead wire through a second friction pair so as to be relatively rotatable.

2. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The traction pin assembly has a first shell, in which the socket and the corresponding electrical circuit are arranged, and the electric plug assembly has a second shell, which has an opening on the upper end side, and the positive pole needle post of the positive pole and the negative pole needle post of the negative pole are arranged in the second shell and can extend out of the opening.

3. The electrical connection device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first friction pair is composed of a first slip ring and a positive electrode contact arranged on the second housing, and the second friction pair is composed of a second slip ring and a negative electrode contact arranged on the second housing, wherein the first slip ring can be rotatably clamped on the positive electrode contact with a preset preload force along its own circumferential direction, and the second slip ring can be rotatably clamped on the negative electrode contact with a preset preload force along its own circumferential direction, wherein the first slip ring is electrically connected to the positive electrode lead wire through the positive electrode contact rod, and the second slip ring is electrically connected to the negative electrode lead wire through the negative electrode contact rod.

4. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electric plug assembly has a driving device for driving the electric plug between a connection position and a disconnection position. After the traction pin assembly is inserted into the traction pin through-hole in the base, the driving device drives the electric plug of the electric plug assembly to be inserted into the socket in the traction pin assembly, thereby reaching the connection position. The driving device is designed as a gear driving device, which has a driving motor, a driving pinion connected to the driving motor and an annular driven gear, the external teeth of the driven gear are meshed with the driving pinion, wherein the second housing is designed as a hollow screw, the internal thread of the driven gear is meshed with the screw, so that the driving motor can drive the screw to rise and fall.

5. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking mechanism is composed of a first locking part arranged on the socket and a second locking part arranged on the electrical plug assembly, wherein the first locking part can be driven together and extend into the second locking part during the process of driving the electrical plug, and engage into the second locking part when the plug-in is completed to achieve a torsion-proof mechanical lock between the electrical plug assembly and the socket.

6. The electrical connection device according to claim 5, characterized in that: A sealing member is arranged around the first locking member and / or the second locking member.

7. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one stopper is arranged on the electric plug assembly.

8. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the tractor coupling device is at least partially elastically connected to the tractor.

9. The electrical connection device according to claim 1, wherein: A positioning pin is provided in the electric plug assembly, and a positioning hole for the positioning pin is provided in the socket.

10. An electric truck, characterized in that: An electrical connection device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is provided, and comprises a tractor and a trailer, wherein the tractor connection device is arranged on the tractor and the trailer connection device is arranged on the trailer.

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