Waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector

Abstract

The disclosure relates to waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector (100), comprising: a plastic body (101) comprising: a first part (110) for attachment in a charger product filled with a liquid coolant; a second part (120) for attachment outside the charger product; and a sealing part (130) formed between the first part (110) and the second part (120); wherein the sealing part (130) is configured to water-tightly separate the charger product with attached first part (110) of the plastic body (101) from an outside of the charger product; and one or more busbars (300) arranged within the plastic body (101); each busbar (300) comprising a first connection part (301) protruding from the first part (110) of the plastic body (101) for providing electrical connection in the charger product and a second connection part (302) protruding from the second part (120) of the plastic body (101) for providing electrical connection with another busbar outside the charger product.

Description

[0001] Waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The disclosure relates to the field of charger products such as AC / DC chargers. The disclosure relates to a waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector that can be applied in such charger products. In particular, the disclosure relates to a waterproof busbar-to-busbar slidable DC connector.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] For higher power density targets in AC / DC charger products a better cooling is required. Better cooling can be implemented, for example, by oil immersion cooling. For such higher cooling targets, the charger box has to be designed leakage free. However, up to now, there is no design available in the market for such a leakage-free charger box providing busbar to busbar connection with a waterproof sealing. Available products in the market are not waterproof and thus suffer from severe leakage problem when applying them in immersion cooling use cases.

[0006] SUMMARY

[0007] This disclosure provides a solution for a leakage-free charger box by providing a busbar-to- busbar connector with a waterproof sealing.

[0008] The foregoing and other objects are achieved by the features of the independent claims. Further implementation forms are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the figures.

[0009] The disclosure presents a novel waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector. In one embodiment, a waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector has been designed that is slidable on one side for a plug-in of a busbar.

[0010] This novel waterproof busbar to busbar connector allows to implement immersion cooling in the whole charger product such as charger or inverter box filled with liquid. By using such waterproof busbar to busbar connector as presented in this disclosure, higher power density products can be implemented.

[0011] In an embodiment as described below, one side of the connector can have a specific shape to clutch the busbars via its snap spring shape that needs no additional fastening part and enabling quick installation. The waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector presented in this disclosure eliminates the leakage problem described above that occurs when using immersion cooling in Charger / lnverters in scope of IP66 requirements. Since the busbar frame current transition is enabled in chassis, complex chassis design is getting much simpler. Furthermore, the number of sub-components in the connector can be decreased resulting in a less complex product.

[0012] Embodiments of the disclosure present a novel busbar-to-busbar waterproof and in one side slidable connector which enables the sealing between the inside of the liquid filled related product and the outer busbar frame structure for transition of electrical points.

[0013] Such a busbar-to-busbar connector can be produced via double shot plastic injection around the busbar placed in mold. The busbar can be placed in mold, guided by its precise holes to enable position sensitivity. One or more grasping holes can be attached to the busbar which are filled with plastic during injection, in order to minimize the shear force for better stiffness of the busbar in the plastic frame of the connector. Resins can be implemented around busbars areas which will be in contact with injection material for reliable bonding. In embodiments of the connector, the busbar can have a snap spring clutch shape on the busbar frame connection side for easy and quicker installation.

[0014] According to a first aspect, the disclosure relates to a waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector, comprising: a plastic body comprising: a first part for attachment in a charger product filled with a liquid coolant; a second part for attachment outside the charger product; and a sealing part formed between the first part and the second part; wherein the sealing part is configured to water-tightly separate the charger product with attached first part of the plastic body from an outside of the charger product; and one or more busbars arranged within the plastic body; each busbar comprising a first connection part protruding from the first part of the plastic body for providing electrical connection in the charger product and a second connection part protruding from the second part of the plastic body for providing electrical connection with another busbar outside the charger product.

[0015] Such a busbar-to-busbar connector is waterproof and can be applied to implement a leakage- free charger product or charger box due to the waterproof sealing of the sealing part.

[0016] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the sealing part comprises a surrounding groove and a seal inserted into the groove. By such a surrounding groove and a seal inserted into the groove, the first part of the plastic body can be water-tightly separated from the second part of the plastic body. Hence the first part of the plastic body can be used inside the charger product which is filled with liquid coolant and the second part of the plastic body can be used outside of the charger product. The seal inserted in the groove guarantees a leakage-free operation of the charger product.

[0017] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the surrounding groove is formed in the sealing part facing the first part of the plastic body.

[0018] By such design, the seal inserted into the groove is pressed against the first part of the plastic body such that the sealed area within the surrounding seal can be kept in the inside of the charger product.

[0019] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the sealing part projects from the first part of the plastic body along a circumference of the first part; and the sealing part projects from the second part of the plastic body along a circumference of the second part.

[0020] These projections allow a tight connection between the first part and the second part of the plastic body water-tightly secured by the sealing part.

[0021] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the second connection part of the one or more busbars is configured to provide a slidable electrical connection with the other busbar.

[0022] By such design the other (i.e. external) busbar can be easily connected to the busbar of the connector, simply by a sliding movement of the other (external) busbar.

[0023] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the second connection part of the one or more busbars is configured to clutch the other busbar for providing electrical connection.

[0024] Clutching the other busbar into the busbar of the connector is an efficient mechanism for providing electrical contact.

[0025] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the second connection part of the one or more busbars is snap-spring shaped. By using a snap-spring shaped second connection part, the busbar of the connector can easily connect with another (external) busbar, e.g., a flat-shaped other (external) busbar.

[0026] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the second connection part of each busbar comprises two arms arranged at an angle to each other, each arm comprising an inwards bent contact part for contacting the other busbar.

[0027] Such arms arranged at an angle to each other provide a robust spring connection with another busbar, i.e. , an external busbar connected to the busbar-to-busbar connector.

[0028] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the first connection part of a respective busbar protrudes away from the first part of the plastic body; and the second part of the plastic body forms a chamber into which the second connection part of the respective busbar projects.

[0029] When the first connection part of a respective busbar protrudes away from the first part of the plastic body, the first connection part is freely accessible and can be simply connected within the charger product.

[0030] When the second part of the plastic body forms a chamber into which the second connection part of the respective busbar projects, the second connection part is protected against damage such as breaking or twisting but can still be accessed by another (external) busbar for providing electrical and mechanical connection.

[0031] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the chamber comprises an opening slot configured to enable insertion of the other busbar for providing electrical connection with the busbar.

[0032] By such opening slot the second connection part is still protected but is yet accessible for electrical connection with the other (external) busbar.

[0033] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the first part of the plastic body is formed to fit into an opening of the charger product.

[0034] By such design, the first part of the plastic body can be inserted into the opening of the charger product and the sealing part can efficiently seal the opening against fluid leakage. In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the sealing part is configured to block the second part of the plastic body against insertion into the opening of the charger product.

[0035] Such a design ensures that the second part of the plastic body stays outside of the charger product.

[0036] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the sealing part comprises one or more fixing elements configured to fix the sealing part at the charger product when the first part of the main body is positioned in the opening of the charger product.

[0037] Such fixing elements can be screws for example. They enable a tight fixing of the sealing part and the whole busbar-to-busbar connector to the charger product such that a waterproof operation can be guaranteed.

[0038] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, each busbar comprises a middle part between the first connection part and the second connection part, the middle part being embedded into the plastic body; wherein the middle part comprises a grasping hole filled with plastic of the plastic body configured to hold the busbar firmly in the plastic body.

[0039] The middle part of a busbar-to-busbar connector is embedded into the plastic body such that a tight mechanical connection between the plastic body and the busbar can be achieved. By one or more grasping holes filled with the plastic of the plastic body, a stronger mechanical connection can be obtained. The grasping holes filled with plastic allow to minimize the shear force for better stiffness of the busbar in the plastic frame, i.e. , plastic body of the connector.

[0040] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the first connection part of each busbar comprises one or more position holes configured to enable position sensitivity within the plastic body.

[0041] Such position holes allow correct placement of the busbar in the mold guided by the position holes to enable position sensitivity.

[0042] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the first connection part of each busbar comprises an inner busbar connection hole configured to provide electrical connection to an inner busbar inside the charger product. These inner busbar connection holes allow to tightly connect the busbar in the inside of the charger product.

[0043] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the busbar-to-busbar connector is configured to provide a sealing according to an ingress protection code IP 66 or higher.

[0044] Such implementation allows the busbar-to-busbar connector to be splash resistance according to the requirements defined in IP 66 regulation. I.e., the busbar-to-busbar connector is waterproof according to IP66. The prevents water from penetrating and is also protected against dust.

[0045] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the busbar-to-busbar connector is obtainable by double shot injection molding.

[0046] Double shot injection molding is the ideal plastic molding process for complex, multi-color and multi-material plastic products, especially in high-volume production scenarios.

[0047] In an exemplary implementation of the busbar-to-busbar connector, the busbar-to-busbar connector is obtainable by placing the one or more busbars into an upper first injection mold and a lower first injection mold to produce the first part of the plastic body and into a second injection mold to produce the second part and the sealing part of the plastic body.

[0048] Such production process allows to use the connector in higher power density products which can be better cooled. Due to the high-power density rates products with less footprints in manufacturing can be produced.

[0049] According to a second aspect, the disclosure relates to a method for producing a waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector with a plastic body and one or more busbars, the method comprising: placing the one or more busbars into an upper first injection mold and a lower first injection mold to produce a first part of the plastic body; and placing the one or more busbars into a second injection mold to produce a second part and a sealing part of the plastic body, such that a first connection part of the one or more busbars protrudes from the first part of the plastic body for providing electrical connection in a charger product, a second connection part of the one or more busbars protrudes from the second part of the plastic body for providing electrical connection with another busbar outside the charger product, and the sealing part water-tightly separates the charger product with attached first part of the plastic body from an outside of the charger product.

[0050] Such a method enables production of a waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector which can be applied to implement a leakage-free charger product or charger box due to the waterproof sealing of the sealing part.

[0051] In an exemplary implementation of the method, the method comprises: producing the first part, the second part and the sealing part of the plastic body by double shot injection molding.

[0052] Due to the double shot injection molding process complex, multi-color and multi-material plastic products can be produced, especially in high-volume production scenarios.

[0053] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] Further embodiments of the disclosure will be described with respect to the following figures, in which:

[0055] Figure 1 shows a 3-dimensional view of a waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector 100 according to the disclosure;

[0056] Figure 2a shows a cross section of the sealing part 130 of the busbar-to-busbar connector 100 according to an embodiment;

[0057] Figure 2b shows an exemplary sealing 200 for the busbar-to-busbar connector 100 according to an embodiment;

[0058] Figure 3a shows a 3-dimensional view of an exemplary busbar 300 of the busbar-to-busbar connector 100 according to an embodiment;

[0059] Figure 3b shows a cross section of the busbar 300 inserted in the busbar-to-busbar connector 100;

[0060] Figure 4a shows a 3-dimensional view of an exemplary upper 410 and lower 420 first injection mold and an exemplary second injection mold 430 for producing the busbar-to-busbar connector 100 according to an embodiment;

[0061] Figure 4b shows a 3-dimensional view of the closed upper 410 and lower 420 first injection mold and second injection mold 430 after double shot injection according to an embodiment; and

[0062] Figure 4c shows a 3-dimensional view of the second injection mold 430 after injection depicting resin areas around busbar according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0063] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific aspects in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is understood that other aspects may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

[0064] It is understood that comments made in connection with a described method may also hold true for a corresponding device or system configured to perform the method and vice versa. For example, if a specific method step is described, a corresponding device may include a unit to perform the described method step, even if such unit is not explicitly described or illustrated in the figures. Further, it is understood that the features of the various exemplary aspects described herein may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise.

[0065] In this disclosure, injection (of mold) and double shot injection (of mold) are described. Two- shot, also referred as dual-shot, double-shot, multi-shot and overmolding, is a plastic molding process in which two, usually different plastic resins are molded together in a single machining cycle. There are two phases of the two-shot molding process. The first is similar to usual injection molding: A shot of resin is injected into a mold and cooled to form a solid part. In the second phase, the just-molded part is transferred to a second mod via a rotating platen or a robotic arm, for example, and receives the second shot of resin - in, through or around certain parts of the first molded part, depending on the design. The two plastic resins then form a molecular bond, and the multi-resin molded part is cooled and ejected.

[0066] In this disclosure, IP66 regulations are described. IP66 stands for waterproofness; A seal prevents water from penetrating and is also protected against dust.

[0067] Figure 1 shows a 3-dimensional view of a waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector 100 according to the disclosure.

[0068] The waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector 100 comprises a plastic body 101 comprising: a first part 110 for attachment in a charger product (not shown here) filled with a liquid coolant; a second part 120 for attachment outside the charger product; and a sealing part 130 formed between the first part 110 and the second part 120. The sealing part 130 is configured to water-tightly separate the charger product with attached first part 110 of the plastic body 101 from an outside of the charger product.

[0069] The busbar-to-busbar connector comprises one or more busbars 300 arranged within the plastic body 101. Each busbar 300 comprises a first connection part 301 protruding from the first part 110 of the plastic body 101 for providing electrical connection in the charger product and a second connection part 302 protruding from the second part 120 of the plastic body 101 for providing electrical connection with another (external) busbar outside the charger product.

[0070] An exemplary number of three busbars 300 is shown in Figure 1 , but any other number can be used as well. Three busbars 300 can be used to implement an AC connector, while two busbars 300 can be used to implement a DC connector.

[0071] The sealing part 130 may comprise a surrounding groove 131 and a seal 200 inserted into the groove 131. Figure 1 shows the groove 131 without inserted seal 200. An exemplary seal 200 inserted in the groove 131 is shown in Figures 2a and 2b.

[0072] The surrounding groove 131 may be formed in the sealing part 130 facing the first part 110 of the plastic body 101. In Figure 1 , the first part 110 can be seen in the top part of the figure and the groove is implemented on a top surface of the sealing part 130 such that the seal 200 can touch and water-tightly enclose the first part 110 of the plastic body 101.

[0073] The sealing part 130 may project from the first part 110 of the plastic body 101 along a circumference of the first part 110 and may project from the second part 120 of the plastic body 101 along a circumference of the second part 120 such that a step or a bridge is formed by the sealing part 130 around the circumferences or perimeters of the first part 110 and the second part 120 of the plastic body 101.

[0074] The second connection part 302 of the one or more busbars 300 may be configured to provide a slidable electrical connection with the other (external) busbar (not shown in the Figures).

[0075] The second connection part 302 of the one or more busbars 300 may be configured to clutch the other busbar for providing electrical connection. A more detailed illustration of a busbar 300 configured to clutch another busbar is shown in Figure 3a.

[0076] The second connection part 302 of the one or more busbars 300 may be snap-spring shaped, for example, as shown in Figure 3a. The second connection part 302 of each busbar 300 may comprise two arms 304a, 304b as shown in Figure 3a arranged at an angle 305 to each other. Each arm 304a, 304b may comprise an inwards bent contact part 306a, 306b for contacting the other busbar. The angle 305 can be for example 20 degrees or smaller. A suitable angle 305 can be chosen such that the two arms 304a, 304b can grip and fix the corresponding contact part of the other external busbar.

[0077] The first connection part 301 of a respective busbar 300 may protrude away from the first part 110 of the plastic body 101 as can be seen from Figure 1. This first connection part 301 can be flat as shown in Figure 1 , for example forming a plate. The second part 120 of the plastic body 101 may form a chamber 310 into which the second connection part 302 of the respective busbar 300 projects as can be seen from Figure 1.

[0078] The chamber 310 may comprise an opening slot 311 configured to enable insertion of the other (external) busbar for providing electrical connection with the busbar 300.

[0079] The first part 110 of the plastic body 101 may be formed to fit into an opening (not shown in the Figures) of the charger product. This opening allows insertion or placement of the first part 110 into the charger product and sealing of the opening by the sealing part 130.

[0080] The sealing part 130 may be configured to block the second part 110 of the plastic body 101 against insertion into the opening of the charger product. This guarantees a robust and stable attachment of the connector 100 to the charger product.

[0081] The sealing part 130 may comprise one or more fixing elements 132, e.g., screws and corresponding screw threads, configured to fix the sealing part 130 at the charger product when the first part 110 of the main body 101 is positioned in the opening of the charger product.

[0082] Each busbar 300 may comprise a middle part 303 between the first connection part 301 and the second connection part 302 (not shown in Figure 1 , see Figures 3a and 3b). This middle part 303 may be embedded in the plastic body 101. The middle part 303 may comprise a grasping hole 145 (see Figures 3a and 3b) filled with plastic of the plastic body 101 to hold the busbar 300 firmly in the plastic body 101 (see Figure 3b). The first connection part 301 of each busbar 300 may comprise one or more position holes 144a, 144b (see Figures 3a and 3b) configured to enable position sensitivity within the plastic body 101.

[0083] The first connection part 301 of each busbar 300 may comprise an inner busbar connection hole 143 (see Figures 3a and 3b) configured to provide electrical connection to an inner busbar inside the charger product.

[0084] The busbar-to-busbar connector 100 can be configured to provide a sealing according to an ingress protection code IP 66 or higher.

[0085] The busbar-to-busbar connector 100 can be obtained by double shot injection molding as shown in Figures 4a, 4b and 4c.

[0086] The busbar-to-busbar connector 100 can be obtained by placing the one or more busbars 300 into an upper first injection mold 410 and a lower first injection mold 420 as shown in Figures 4a, 4b and 4c to produce the first part 110 of the plastic body 101 and into a second injection mold 430 to produce the second part 120 and the sealing part 130 with the surrounding groove 131 of the plastic body 101 .

[0087] Figure 2a shows a cross section of the sealing part 130 of the busbar-to-busbar connector 100 according to an embodiment.

[0088] The sealing part 130 may include the seal 200 which is inserted in the groove 131. The sealed area, i.e. , the area within the seal 200 as can be seen from Figure 2a will be kept in the inside of the charger box.

[0089] The first part 110 of the plastic body 101 cannot be seen from that perspective. It will be located within the picture plane of Figure 2a as indicated by the reference sign 110. Three exemplary busbars 300 with their first connection parts 301 can be seen in this cross section of the sealing part 130.

[0090] Figure 2b shows an exemplary sealing 200 for the busbar-to-busbar connector 100 according to an embodiment.

[0091] The sealing 200 is formed to fit into the groove 131 of the sealing part 130. The sealing 200 may thus surround the first part 110 of the plastic body 101 in order to develop a sealing effect. In this example of Figure 2b, the sealing 200 may have a frame structure with flattened corners. However, any other closed contour can be implemented, such as a square, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, triangular contour with or without beveled edges and many others.

[0092] Figure 3a shows a 3-dimensional view of an exemplary busbar 300 of the busbar-to-busbar connector 100 according to an embodiment. The busbar 300 can have a first connection part 301 for connection in the inside of the charger product and a second connection part 302 for connection at an outside of the charger product to another external busbar (not shown in the Figures).

[0093] The second connection part 302 of the one or more busbars 300 may be configured to provide a slidable electrical connection with the other (external) busbar.

[0094] The second connection part 302 may be configured to clutch the other busbar for providing electrical connection. The second connection part 302 may be snap-spring shaped. The second connection part 302 may comprise two arms 304a, 304b arranged at an angle 305 to each other. Each arm 304a, 304b may comprise an inwards bent contact part 306a, 306b for contacting the other busbar. The arms 304a, 304b can be springy for grasping a flat connection part of the other external busbar.

[0095] Figure 3b shows a cross section of the busbar 300 inserted in the busbar-to-busbar connector 100. As described above with respect to Figure 1 and Figure 3a, the busbar 300 can have a first connection part 301 for connection in the inside of the charger product and a second connection part 302 for connection at an outside of the charger product to another external busbar (not shown in the Figures).

[0096] The busbar 300 may further comprise a middle part 303 between the first connection part 301 and the second connection part 302. This middle part 303 may be embedded in the plastic body 101 as illustrated by the dark gray color. The middle part 303 may comprise a grasping hole 145 filled with plastic (illustrated by the dark gray color) of the plastic body 101 to hold the busbar 300 firmly in the plastic body 101.

[0097] The first connection part 301 of each busbar 300 may comprise one or more position holes 144a, 144b to enable position sensitivity within the plastic body 101 as produced by mold injection shown in Figures 4a to 4c. The first connection part 301 of each busbar 300 may comprise an inner busbar connection hole 143 to provide electrical connection to an inner busbar inside the charger product.

[0098] The first connection part 301 may be flat as shown in Figures 3a and 3b without restricting it to a flat shape. It can also have any other shape suitable for connection within the charger product.

[0099] Depending on the fluid volume inside the closed volume rear of the connector 100, i.e., within the charger product, related stress on the busbar 300 around can be changing. Depending on the specific design of the charger product, the sealing and resin implemented surface area can be specifically selected to compensate for this stress. Furthermore, the sealing material and its section size as well as the shape and size of the groove 131 can be specifically designed to compensate for this stress.

[0100] Another design variable of the connector 100 is the shape of the first part 110 of the plastic body 101. This clutch shape can be designed in an optimal way according to the related current value and cross busbar thickness, this can be designed thinner or simpler in shape as well.

[0101] Figure 4a shows a 3-dimensional view of an exemplary upper 410 and lower 420 first injection mold and an exemplary second injection mold 430 for producing the busbar-to-busbar connector 100 according to an embodiment. Figure 4b shows a 3-dimensional view of the closed upper 410 and lower 420 first injection mold and second injection mold 430 after double shot injection according to an embodiment. Figure 4c shows a 3-dimensional view of the second injection mold 430 after injection depicting resin areas around busbar according to an embodiment.

[0102] The busbar-to-busbar connector 100 described above may be obtained by double shot injection molding as shown in Figures 4a, 4b and 4c.

[0103] The busbar-to-busbar connector 100 can be obtained by placing the one or more busbars 300 shown above with respect to Figures 1 to 3b into an upper first injection mold 410 and a lower first injection mold 420 to produce the first part 110 of the plastic body 101 and into a second injection mold 430 to produce the second part 120 and the sealing part 130 with the surrounding groove 131 of the plastic body 101.

[0104] The disclosure also describes a method for producing such a waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector 100 with a plastic body 101 and one or more busbars 300 as described above. Such a method comprises: placing the one or more busbars 300 into an upper first injection mold 410 and a lower first injection mold 420 to produce a first part of the plastic body 101 ; and placing the one or more busbars 300 into a second injection mold 430 to produce a second part and a sealing part of the plastic body, such that a first connection part 301 of the one or more busbars 300 protrudes from the first part 110 of the plastic body 101 for providing electrical connection in a charger product, a second connection part 302 of the one or more busbars 300 protrudes from the second part 120 of the plastic body 101 for providing electrical connection with another busbar outside the charger product, and the sealing part 130 water- tightly separates the charger product with attached first part 110 of the plastic body 101 from an outside of the charger product.

[0105] Such a method enables production of a waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector 100 which can be applied to implement a leakage-free charger product or charger box due to the waterproof sealing of the sealing part 130.

[0106] The first part 110, the second part 120 and the sealing part 130 of the plastic body 101 may be produced by double shot injection molding as shown in Figures 4a to 4c.

[0107] The double shot injection molding process allows to produce complex, multi-color and multimaterial plastic products in high-volume production scenarios.

[0108] In the above section, a solution was presented that offers immersion cooling which enables design of charger products like converter and inverter with higher electrical power density and simple chassis design.

[0109] The presented waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector 100 allows to decrease the number of sub-components in the connector. It can be quickly and easily installed within charger / inverter boxes. The disclosed connector 100 allows reliable connection to protect the cover according to IP66 requirement.

[0110] The solution presented in this disclosure can be implemented for high current busbar entrance usage and immersion cooling needed chargers / inverters and other power electronic devices.

[0111] The disclosed solution enables higher power density since it allows a better cooling of the charger products and because of the high-power density rates, such charger products produce less footprints in manufacturing. While a particular feature or aspect of the disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature or aspect may be combined with one or more other features or aspects of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "include", "have", "with", or other variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprise". Also, the terms "exemplary", "for example" and "e.g." are merely meant as an example, rather than the best or optimal. The terms “coupled” and “connected”, along with derivatives may have been used. It should be understood that these terms may have been used to indicate that two elements cooperate or interact with each other regardless whether they are in direct physical or electrical contact, or they are not in direct contact with each other.

[0112] Although specific aspects have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and / or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific aspects shown and described without departing from the scope of the disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific aspects discussed herein.

[0113] Although the elements in the following claims are recited in a particular sequence with corresponding labeling, unless the claim recitations otherwise imply a particular sequence for implementing some or all of those elements, those elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence.

[0114] Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. Of course, those skilled in the art readily recognize that there are numerous applications of the disclosure beyond those described herein. While the disclosure has been described with reference to one or more particular embodiments, those skilled in the art recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the disclosure. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, the disclosure may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A waterproof busbar-to-busbar connector (100), comprising: a plastic body (101) comprising: a first part (110) for attachment in a charger product filled with a liquid coolant; a second part (120) for attachment outside the charger product; and a sealing part (130) formed between the first part (110) and the second part (120); wherein the sealing part (130) is configured to water-tightly separate the charger product with attached first part (110) of the plastic body (101) from an outside of the charger product; and one or more busbars (300) arranged within the plastic body (101); each busbar (300) comprising a first connection part (301) protruding from the first part (110) of the plastic body (101) for providing electrical connection in the charger product and a second connection part (302) protruding from the second part (120) of the plastic body (101) for providing electrical connection with another busbar outside the charger product.

2. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of claim 1 , wherein the sealing part (130) comprises a surrounding groove (131) and a seal (200) inserted into the groove (131).

3. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of claim 2, wherein the surrounding groove (131) is formed in the sealing part (130) facing the first part (110) of the plastic body (101).

4. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing part (130) projects from the first part (110) of the plastic body (101) along a circumference of the first part (110); and wherein the sealing part (130) projects from the second part (120) of the plastic body (101) along a circumference of the second part (120).

5. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the second connection part (302) of the one or more busbars (300) is configured to provide a slidable electrical connection with the other busbar.

6. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the second connection part (302) of the one or more busbars (300) is configured to clutch the other busbar for providing electrical connection.

7. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the second connection part (302) of the one or more busbars (300) is snapspring shaped.

8. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the second connection part (302) of each busbar (300) comprises two arms (304a, 304b) arranged at an angle (305) to each other, each arm (304a, 304b) comprising an inwards bent contact part (306a, 306b) for contacting the other busbar.

9. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first connection part (301) of a respective busbar (300) protrudes away from the first part (110) of the plastic body (101); and wherein the second part (120) of the plastic body (101) forms a chamber (310) into which the second connection part (302) of the respective busbar (300) projects.

10. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of claim 9, wherein the chamber (310) comprises an opening slot (311) configured to enable insertion of the other busbar for providing electrical connection with the busbar (300).

11. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first part (110) of the plastic body (101) is formed to fit into an opening of the charger product.

12. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of claim 11, wherein the sealing part (130) is configured to block the second part (110) of the plastic body (101) against insertion into the opening of the charger product.

13. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of claim 11 or 12, wherein the sealing part (130) comprises one or more fixing elements (132) configured to fix the sealing part (130) at the charger product when the first part (110) of the main body (101) is positioned in the opening of the charger product.

14. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein each busbar (300) comprises a middle part (303) between the first connection part (301) and the second connection part (302), the middle part (303) being embedded into the plastic body (101);wherein the middle part (303) comprises a grasping hole (145) filled with plastic of the plastic body (101) configured to hold the busbar (300) firmly in the plastic body (101).

15. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first connection part (301) of each busbar (300) comprises one or more position holes (144a, 144b) configured to enable position sensitivity within the plastic body (101).

16. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first connection part (301) of each busbar (300) comprises an inner busbar connection hole (143) configured to provide electrical connection to an inner busbar inside the charger product.

17. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of any of the preceding claims, configured to provide a sealing according to an ingress protection code IP 66 or higher.

18. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of any of the preceding claims, obtainable by double shot injection molding.

19. The busbar-to-busbar connector (100) of claim 18, obtainable by placing the one or more busbars (300) into an upper first injection mold (410) and a lower first injection mold (420) to produce the first part (110) of the plastic body (101) and into a second injection mold (430) to produce the second part (120) and the sealing part (130) with the surrounding groove (131) of the plastic body (101).18

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