Liquid-Cooled Charging Connector With Coplanar Terminal Heat Exchange

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current liquid cooling methods for high-power charging connectors of electric vehicles are inefficient, leading to high heat consumption and limitations in achieving effective heat dissipation, which restricts the implementation of high-power charging.

Innovation Solution

A charging connector design that incorporates a large-sized heat exchanger and a thermally conductive plate in conjunction with a flow channel structure and water nozzles to enhance heat dissipation, allowing for improved cooling efficiency by increasing the heat exchange area and optimizing the flow of cooling media.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If liquid cooling is applied to the power terminal, then heat dissipation is improved, but heat dissipation efficiency remains low and cannot meet high-power charging requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower terminal temperatureVSAvoidheat dissipation efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from traditional small-scale liquid cooling to a large-sized heat exchanger with multi-dimensional cooling channels. The cooling structure extends in multiple spatial dimensions with channels arranged in parallel and series configurations, significantly increasing the heat exchange surface area and improving heat dissipation efficiency to meet high-power charging demands

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The heat exchanger is divided into multiple independent cooling channels that can be segmented and distributed throughout the power terminal structure. This segmentation allows for optimized heat extraction from different regions of the power terminal simultaneously, enhancing overall cooling effectiveness

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The enhanced heat dissipation design effectively reduces the temperature of the power terminal, enabling more efficient high-power charging of electric vehicles by improving the cooling efficiency and accommodating more cooling media within a given space.

Implementation Method 1

Heat emitted by the power terminal may be transferred to the cooling medium in the heat exchanger through the heat exchange surface and the thermally conductive plate and absorbed by the cooling medium, to implement heat exchange

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat exchange: Heat Exchanger

Implementation Method 2

Heat emitted by the power terminal may be transferred to the cooling medium in the heat exchanger through the heat exchange surface and the thermally conductive plate

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 3

Heat emitted by the power terminal may be transferred to the cooling medium in the heat exchanger through the heat exchange surface and the thermally conductive plate and absorbed by the cooling medium

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat absorption: Absorption (physical)

Data Source

PatentEP4427969A1Charging connector and charging device
Publication Date: 2024.09.11 HUAWEI DIGITAL POWER TECH CO LTD
  • EP4427969A1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1b
  • EP4427969A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3a
  • EP4427969A1 patent drawingFigure 3b~3c

AI summary

This application relates to the field of charging pile technologies, and in particular, to a charging connector and a charging device. The charging connector includes a housing, an electrical connection structure, and a liquid cooling structure. The electrical connection structure includes a first circuit board, a second circuit board, a signal terminal, and two power terminals. The signal terminal and the second circuit board are respectively connected to two end faces of the first circuit board. The two power terminals are mounted side by side on the first circuit board. Each power terminal has a connection portion, the connection portion has a heat exchange surface, and heat exchange surfaces of the two power terminals are coplanar. The liquid cooling structure includes a heat exchanger and a thermally conductive plate. The thermally conductive plate is in contact with the heat exchange surfaces of the two power terminals. The heat exchanger is in contact with the thermally conductive plate. The charging connector can improve heat dissipation efficiency of the power terminal.