CN-121984330-A - Connector for facilitating capacitor charging

Abstract

A DC-DC converter includes a current limiting device and a capacitor. The first interface is coupled to the capacitor and is configured to be coupled to a second interface that supplies the input voltage. The first interface is further configured to couple the input voltage to the capacitor through the current limiting device and then couple the input voltage to the capacitor bypassing the current limiting device. The first interface may comprise pins of unequal length, wherein the longer pin is connected to the capacitor through a current limiting device and the shorter pin is connected to the capacitor bypassing the current limiting device.

Inventors

• S.E. Schultz
• J.HUANG
• M. M. Mahmud
• J.J.Li

Assignees

• 瑞维安知识产权控股有限责任公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20250926

Priority Date

20241031

Claims (20)

1. 1. A circuit, the circuit comprising: A current limiting device; Capacitor, and A first interface, the first interface comprising: A first pin connected to a first terminal of the capacitor through the current limiting device, and A second pin connected to the first terminal of the capacitor bypassing the current limiting device, the second pin being shorter than the first pin, Wherein the first interface is coupled to the capacitor and is configured to be coupled to a second interface that supplies an input voltage, the first interface being further configured to couple the input voltage to the capacitor through the current limiting device and then couple the input voltage to the capacitor bypassing the current limiting device.
2. 2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the second pin is at least 0.5mm shorter than the first pin.
3. 3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the difference in length between the first pin and the second pin is effective to enable the capacitor to be charged to a threshold percentage of the input voltage in a period of time between bringing the first pin into contact with a first contact of the second interface and bringing the second pin into contact with a second contact of the second interface when bringing the second interface and the first interface together.
4. 4. A circuit according to claim 3, wherein the threshold percentage is at least 90% and the second interface and the first interface are brought together at a speed of 0.5 to 8 meters per second.
5. 5. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the first interface further comprises a third pin connected to the second terminal of the capacitor.
6. 6. The circuit of claim 5, wherein the first pin has a lower current rating than the second pin and the third pin.
7. 7. The circuit of claim 5, wherein the first pin has a current rating of less than 3 amps and each of the second pin and the third pin has a current rating of at least 10 amps.
8. 8. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the circuit comprises a direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) converter.
9. 9. The circuit of claim 8, wherein the first terminal is configured to couple the capacitor of the DC-DC converter to a vehicle on-board charger (OBC).
10. 10. The circuit of claim 9, wherein the vehicle OBC is configured to be coupled to an AC power source.
11. 11. The circuit of claim 9, wherein the DC-DC converter is configured to be coupled to the vehicle OBC via a first set of switches.
12. 12. The circuit of claim 11, wherein the DC-DC converter is configured to be coupled to a vehicle battery via a second set of switches.
13. 13. A method, the method comprising: Providing a circuit comprising a capacitor and a first interface, the first interface comprising: A first pin connected to a first terminal of the capacitor through a current limiting device, and A second pin connected to the first terminal of the capacitor bypassing the current limiting device, the second pin being shorter than the first pin; making a first contact with the first interface via the first pin such that a voltage source is coupled to the capacitor through the current limiting device, and A second contact is made with the first interface via the second pin such that the voltage source is coupled to the capacitor bypassing the current limiting device.
14. 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: Making the first contact includes sliding the first interface and the second interface relative to each other such that the first interface is in a first position relative to the second interface, and Making the second contact includes sliding the first interface and the second interface relative to each other such that the first interface moves through at least 0.5mm past the first position to a second position relative to the second interface.
15. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second interface comprises a socket configured to receive the first pin and the second pin.
16. 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the current limiting device comprises at least one of a diode, a transistor, or a resistor.
17. 17. A connector, the connector comprising: A connector body; a first pin extending a first distance from the connector body; a second pin extending a second distance from the connector body, and A third pin extending a third distance from the connector body, the first distance being at least 0.5mm less than the second distance and the third distance.
18. 18. The connector of claim 17, further comprising a shroud that prevents finger contact with the first, second, and third pins according to IPXXB standards.
19. 19. The connector of claim 17, wherein the first pin has a lower current rating than the second pin and the third pin.
20. 20. The connector of claim 17, wherein the first pin has a current rating of less than 3 amps and each of the second pin and the third pin has a current rating of greater than 10 amps.

Description

Connector for facilitating capacitor charging Background The present disclosure relates to a connector for facilitating capacitor charging. Disclosure of Invention The present disclosure describes a method for reducing inrush current and ringing when connecting a battery to a component comprising a capacitor. In one aspect, a circuit includes a current limiting device and a capacitor. The first interface is coupled to the capacitor and is configured to be coupled to a second interface that supplies the input voltage. The first interface is further configured to couple the input voltage to the capacitor through the current limiting device and then couple the input voltage to the capacitor bypassing the current limiting device. Drawings FIG. 1A illustrates an example vehicle that may be operated in accordance with certain embodiments. Fig. 1B illustrates a chassis of a vehicle having multiple drive units that may be operated in accordance with certain embodiments. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of components for operating a vehicle according to certain embodiments. Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the location of a DC-DC converter in an electric vehicle according to some embodiments. Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a DC-DC converter having a connector configured to reduce inrush current and avoid ringing when the DC-DC converter is connected to a battery, according to some embodiments. Fig. 5A illustrates a connector aligned with a plug according to some embodiments. Fig. 5B illustrates a connector having certain pins connected to contacts of a plug at an intermediate stage of connecting the connector to the plug, according to certain embodiments. Fig. 5C illustrates a connector and plug fully connected to each other according to some embodiments. Fig. 6 illustrates a circuit for charging a capacitor of a DC-DC converter, according to some embodiments. Detailed Description A battery electric vehicle includes a high voltage battery that provides current to one or more inverters that convert Direct Current (DC) from the battery to Alternating Current (AC) to drive a motor connected to wheels. While high voltage batteries have many advantages, most components of the vehicle require lower voltages, such as Electronic Control Units (ECU), smaller motors (e.g., driving windshield wipers, windows, power tailgates, etc.), infotainment systems, and the like. Thus, a DC-DC converter is used to generate current at a reduced voltage (e.g., 12 volts). The DC-DC converter includes a large capacitor that is initially charged when connected to the battery and will thereafter remain in or near a charged state unless it is intentionally depleted. Upon initial charging, the capacitor and the inherent inductance in the wire coupling the current to the capacitor (if instantaneous coupling) will produce an underdamped frequency response, i.e., ringing, which can result in large voltage oscillations with peak voltages exceeding 1000 volts. The methods described herein provide an improved method for coupling a DC-DC converter to a battery, either directly or through one or more intermediate components. The DC-DC converter includes a connector having two pins connected to the positive terminal of the capacitor, a first pin connected to the positive terminal through a resistor, and a second pin connected to the positive terminal bypassing the resistor. The connector also includes a third pin connected to the negative terminal of the capacitor. The first and third pins are longer than the second pin such that when the plug is brought into contact with the connector, the first and third pins will briefly make electrical contact with the plug, while the second pin will not make electrical contact with the plug. The plug couples the first pin to a positive battery voltage and the third pin to a negative battery voltage. Thus, the initial current to the capacitor will flow through the resistor. As the plug and connector come closer together, the second pin contacts and is also coupled to the battery voltage, thereby providing a path to the capacitor around the resistor. The instantaneous coupling through the resistor is sufficient to charge the capacitor without ringing. An advantage of the methods described herein is that minimal components (resistors and associated wiring) are required to perform functions that are only used at the time of manufacture, and that the need for relays or other more complex components is eliminated. FIG. 1A illustrates an example vehicle 100 in which the methods described herein may be implemented. As shown in fig. 1A, a vehicle 100 has a plurality of external cameras 102 and one or more front displays 104. Each of these external cameras 102 may capture a particular view or perspective of the exterior of the vehicle 100. The images or videos captured by the external camera 102 may then be presented on one or more displays in the vehicle 100, such as one or more front displays 104,