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EP-4737194-A2 - CHARGING INLET WITH THERMAL SENSOR

EP4737194A2EP 4737194 A2EP4737194 A2EP 4737194A2EP-4737194-A2

Abstract

A charging inlet (110) comprises a power terminal (204) and a thermal sensor (312). The power terminal (204) is configured to releasably engage a mating contact of an external power source (104), and the power terminal (204) includes a cylindrical shaft (304). The thermal sensor (312) is for monitoring a temperature of the power terminal (204). The thermal sensor (312) includes a substrate (320) and a sensing element (322) mounted on the substrate (320), wherein the substrate (320) is flexible and curves along at least a portion of an outer surface (314) of the cylindrical shaft (304). The substrate (320) has a component side (502) and a mounting side (504) that is opposite the component side (502). The sensing element (322) is mounted on the component side (502) of the substrate (320), and the mounting side (504) of the substrate (320) is mounted to the outer surface (314) of the cylindrical shaft (304).

Inventors

  • MYER, Nathan Philip
  • PATTERSON, JEREMY CHRISTIN

Assignees

  • TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20190918

Claims (10)

  1. A charging inlet (110) comprising: a power terminal (204) configured to releasably engage a mating contact of an external power source (104), the power terminal (204) including a cylindrical shaft (304); and a thermal sensor (312) for monitoring a temperature of the power terminal (204), the thermal sensor (312) includes a substrate (320) and a sensing element (322) mounted on the substrate (320), wherein the substrate (320) is flexible and curves along at least a portion of an outer surface (314) of the cylindrical shaft (304), wherein the substrate (320) has a component side (502) and a mounting side (504) that is opposite the component side (502), the sensing element (322) mounted on the component side (502) of the substrate (320), wherein the mounting side (504) of the substrate (320) is mounted to the outer surface (314) of the cylindrical shaft (304).
  2. The charging inlet of claim 1, wherein the mounting side (504) of the substrate (320) is mounted to the outer surface (314) of the cylindrical shaft (304) via an adhesive.
  3. The charging inlet of claim 1 or 2, wherein the substrate (320) wraps around an entire perimeter of the cylindrical shaft (304).
  4. The charging inlet of any preceding claim, wherein the substrate (320) comprises a polyimide film.
  5. The charging inlet of any preceding claim, wherein the power terminal is a first power terminal (204A) and the charging inlet (110) includes a second power terminal (204B) disposed adjacent to the first power terminal (204A).
  6. The charging inlet of claim 5, wherein the sensing element (322) of the thermal sensor (312) is located between the first and second power terminals (204A, 204B).
  7. The charging inlet of any preceding claim, including a plurality of thermal sensors (312).
  8. The charging inlet of any preceding claim, wherein the substrate (320) curves along a contour of at least a portion of the outer surface (314) of the cylindrical shaft (304).
  9. The charging inlet of any preceding claim, wherein the charging inlet (110) is of a vehicle, and the external power source (104) is for charging a vehicle.
  10. The charging inlet of any preceding claim, wherein the sensing element (322) is one of a thermistor, a thermocouple, a resistance temperature detector, or a conductive film.

Description

The subject matter herein relates to electrical charging systems that have electrical connectors for establishing conductive pathways for supplying current from power sources to batteries. Electric vehicles, including fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, have electrical charging systems for charging batteries that provide current used to propel the vehicles. The charging systems include a charging inlet on the vehicle that releasably couples to a mating connector connected to an external power source. Because the vehicle is immobilized during charging operations, there is a desire to reduce the duration of charging operations to reduce the amount of time that the vehicle is immobile. The charging duration can be reduced by increasing the rate of power (e.g., electric current) transfer. At high currents, components of the vehicle charging system, such as the charging inlet, may heat up due to electrical contact resistances. If left unchecked, the heat can damage the components of the charging system, such as by melting the components, and could potentially start a fire. To prevent heat-related damage, some known charging systems have sensors for monitoring the temperature in or around the charging inlet. If the temperature that is measured exceeds a threshold, the charging systems reduce the power transfer rate and/or take other actions to maintain the temperature at a safe level that is unlikely to cause damage. However, the temperature sensing in known charging systems may be inaccurate and/or have a delayed response time. For example, to provide electrical isolation for the sensing circuitry from the high current conveyed through the power contacts, the temperature sensors may be positioned relatively far away from the power contacts and/or placed behind walls or other structures. But, the separation distance and intervening structures result in a significant temperature disparity between the power contacts and the temperature sensors, reducing the accuracy and slowing the response time of the sensors. As a result of the low accuracy and slow response time, known charging systems have limited control over the charging operation. The problem to be solved is to provide a charging inlet having a thermal sensor that can more accurately and quickly monitor the temperature of the power contacts during a charging operation than known charging systems, allowing for greater power transfer rates during charging operations to reduce the charging duration without concern of causing heat-related damage. In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, this problem is solved by a charging inlet that includes a power terminal and a thermal sensor for monitoring a temperature of the power terminal. The power terminal is configured to releasably engage a mating contact of an external power source. The power terminal includes a cylindrical shaft. The thermal sensor includes a substrate and a sensing element mounted on the substrate. The substrate is flexible and curves along at least a portion of an outer surface of the cylindrical shaft. In one or more embodiments, a charging inlet is provided that includes a housing, a power terminal, and a thermal sensor for monitoring a temperature of the power terminal. The housing defines a cavity. The power terminal is held by the housing and extends into the cavity. The power terminal is configured to releasably engage a mating contact of an external power source. The thermal sensor includes a substrate and a sensing element. The substrate has a component side and a mounting side opposite the component side. The sensing element is mounted on the component side of the substrate. The mounting side of the substrate is mounted to an outer surface of the power terminal. The substrate is flexible and curves along a contour of at least a portion of a perimeter of the power terminal. In one or more embodiments, a charging inlet is provided that includes first and second power terminals and a thermal sensor for monitoring a temperature of the first power terminal. The first and second power terminals are configured to releasably engage corresponding mating contacts of an external power source. The first and second power terminals are spaced apart from each other within a housing. The first power terminal includes a cylindrical shaft. The thermal sensor includes a substrate and a sensing element mounted on the substrate. The substrate is flexible and is mounted to the cylindrical shaft of the first power terminal such that the substrate curves along at least a portion of an outer surface of the cylindrical shaft. The sensing element of the thermal sensor is located between the first and second power terminals. The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 illustrates a charging system that includes an electric vehicle parked next to a charging station according to an embodiment.Figure 2 is a top down view of a charging