HIGH VOLTAGE (HV) TERMINAL FRAME
A two-piece high voltage (HV) terminal frame having a terminal frame and a contact spring. The terminal frame includes at least a top portion, a bottom portion, and a middle portion forming an opening for receiving a first bus bar and a second bus bar. The contact spring is configured to engage the top portion of the terminal frame, wherein the contact spring includes a spring portion that extends into the opening of the terminal frame.
This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/187,588, filed May 12, 2021 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/195,785 filed Jun. 2, 2021, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUNDThe present disclosure is directed to a high voltage terminal frame and in particular to a two-piece high voltage terminal frame.
High voltage terminal frames include a rigid outer housing and a more compliant contact spring. Typically, the rigid outer housing is separate from the more compliant contact spring, made of different materials, and requiring assembly at manufacture. This type of HV frame is a two-piece assembly. In some embodiments, a conductive bus bar is crimped to the rigid outer housing, resulting in a three-piece assembly. It would be beneficial to develop a high voltage terminal frame that provides the same functionality but that does not require separate components for the rigid outer housing and the more compliant contact spring.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to one aspect, a two-piece high voltage (HV) terminal frame includes a terminal frame and a contact spring. The terminal frame includes at least a top portion, a bottom portion, and a middle portion forming an opening for receiving a first bus bar and a second bus bar. The contact spring is configured to engage the top portion of the terminal frame, wherein the contact spring includes a spring portion that extends into the opening of the terminal frame.
According to another aspect, a header assembly includes a housing assembly, a two-piece terminal assembly, and a terminal position assurance (TPA). The housing assembly includes at least a first opening for receiving a bus bar. The two-piece terminal assembly includes a terminal frame and a contact spring engaged with the terminal frame, wherein the two-piece terminal assembly is positioned within the housing assembly. The terminal position assurance (TPA) positioned within the housing assembly adjacent to the two-piece terminal assembly.
According to some aspects, the present invention is directed to a high voltage (HV) terminal assembly. In some embodiments, the HV terminal assembly is a two-part assembly that includes a terminal frame and a spring contact, wherein the spring contact is configured to engage with the terminal frame. In some embodiments, the terminal frame is fabricated from a first piece of material (e.g., stainless steel) having a first thickness and the spring contact is fabricated form a second piece of material (e.g., stainless steel) having a second thickness less than the first thickness. As a result, the terminal frame provides more rigidity as compared with the spring contact, as desired.
Referring now to
In the embodiment shown in
Referring now to
In the embodiment shown in
In some embodiments, terminal frame 116 is fabricated from a single piece of material having a first uniform thickness folded into the desired shape. In some embodiments, contact spring 118 is fabricated from a single piece of material having a second uniform thickness folded into a desired shape, wherein the second thickness is less than the first thickness. One benefit of a two-piece terminal assembly wherein the thickness of the material forming the terminal frame 116 is greater than the thickness of the material forming the contact spring 118 is the greater thickness of the terminal frame 116 provides improved rigidity as compared with the contact spring 118. Likewise, the contact spring 118—and in particular the spring portion 126—is more flexible due to the thickness of the contact spring. In some embodiments, the terminal frame 116 and the contact spring 118 are fabricated from the same material (e.g., stainless steel), wherein characteristics such as rigidity of the terminal frame 116 and the contact spring 118 are selected based on the thickness of the respective components. In other embodiments, the terminal frame 116 and the contact spring 118 may be fabricated using different materials. For example, the terminal frame 116 may be fabricated from a high carbon steel, wherein the contact spring 118 may be fabricated from stainless steel. In some embodiments, the terminal frame 116 is “C-shaped” and includes a top portion 132, a middle portion 134, and a bottom portion 136, wherein the top portion 132 and the bottom portion 136 are parallel to one another. The middle portion 134 is transverse to the top portion 132 and the bottom portion 136 and connects the top portion 132 and the bottom portion 136. The top portion 132, the middle portion 134 and the bottom portion 136 form the opening configured to receive the connector side bus bar 106 and the header side bus bar 104. In some embodiments, the top portion 132 is configured to receive and capture the contact spring 118, wherein the spring portion 126 extends into the opening and is configured to exert a normal force on the connector side bus bar 106 to urge the connector side bus bar 106 into contact with the header side bus bar 104. In some embodiments, the bottom portion 136 of the terminal frame 116 includes a stop feature 142, a front guide feature 138 and a side guide feature 140. The stop feature 142 defines the maximum extent the header side bus bar 104 can extend into the terminal frame 116. The side guide feature 140 and the front guide feature 138 aid in guiding the header side bus bar 104 into the opening of the terminal frame 116. In addition, the front guide feature 138 interacts with an overlapping feature 150 (shown in
In some embodiments, contact spring 118 is also “C-shaped” having a first portion 120, a middle portion 122 and a second portion 124. The first portion 120 and the second portion 124 are configured to engage with the terminal frame 116, wherein the spring portion 126 extends into an opening provided within the terminal assembly 114a. As shown in
Having inserted the terminal assembly 114b and the TPA 112b within the housing assembly 110b, the header side bus bar 104b is inserted within the header assembly 108b. In some embodiments, the front guide feature 138 and the side guide feature 140 associated with the terminal frame 116 act to guide the header side bus bar 104b into place within the terminal frame 116. Likewise, the stop feature 142 associated with the terminal frame 116 is configured to receive the header side bus bar 104b. Having positioned the header side bus bar 104b within the header assembly 108b, a connector side bus bar 106b may be inserted into the opening 115b on the header assembly 108b. Once inserted, the connector side bus bar 106b interacts with and compresses spring portion 126 of contact spring 118. The compression of the spring portion 126 generates a normal force on the connector side bus bar 106b that presses the connector side bus bar 106b into contact with the header side bus bar 104b.
In some embodiments, terminal frame 516 is fabricated from a single piece of material having a first uniform thickness folded into the desired shape. In some embodiments, contact spring 518 is fabricated from a single piece of material having a second uniform thickness folded into a desired shape, wherein the second thickness is less than the first thickness. One benefit of a two-piece terminal assembly wherein the thickness of the material forming the terminal frame 516 is greater than the thickness of the material forming the contact spring 518 is the greater thickness of the terminal frame 516 provides improved rigidity as compared with the contact spring 518. Likewise, the contact spring 518—and in particular the spring portions 526a and 526b— is more flexible due to the thickness of the contact spring. In some embodiments, the terminal frame 516 and the contact spring 518 are fabricated from the same material (e.g., stainless steel), wherein characteristics such as rigidity of the terminal frame 516 and the contact spring 518 are selected based on the thickness of the respective components. In other embodiments, the terminal frame 516 and the contact spring 518 may be fabricated using different materials. For example, the terminal frame 516 may be fabricated from a high carbon steel, wherein the contact spring 518 may be fabricated from stainless steel. In some embodiments, the terminal frame 516 is “C-shaped” and includes a top portion 532, a middle portion 534, and a bottom portion 536, wherein the top portion 532 and the bottom portion 536 are parallel to one another. The middle portion 534 is transverse to the top portion 532 and the bottom portion 536 and connects the top portion 532 and the bottom portion 536. The top portion 532, the middle portion 534 and the bottom portion 536 form the opening configured to receive one or both of the connector side bus bars 606a and 606b and the header side bus bar 604 (shown in
In some embodiments, the top portion 532 is configured to receive and capture the contact spring 518, wherein the spring portions 526a and 526b extend into the opening and are configured to exert a normal force on the connector side bus bars 606a and 606b, respectively, to urge the respective connector side bus bars 606a and 606b into contact with the header side bus bar 604. In some embodiments, the contact spring 518 includes only a single spring portion 526 rather than two sprint portions 526a, 526b. That is, in some embodiments regardless of the direction of the connector side bus bar 606 the single sprint portion 526 is brought into contact with the connector side bus bar 606. In some embodiments, the bottom portion 636 of the terminal frame 616 may include a stop feature (not shown), a front guide feature (not shown) and a side guide feature (not shown) similar to that described with respect to
In some embodiments, contact spring 518 is also “C-shaped” having a first portion 520, a middle portion 522 and a second portion 524. The first portion 520 and the second portion 524 are configured to engage with the terminal frame 516 and in particular with the top portion 532 of the terminal frame 516. In some embodiments, the spring portions 526a, 526b extends into an opening provided within the terminal assembly 514. As described above, in some embodiments only a single spring portion 526 is utilized rather than two separate spring portions 526a, 526b. As shown in
In some embodiments, terminal frame 516 is configured for use in a bi-directional HV terminal assembly, in which connector side bus bars 606a and 606b may be positioned from either side of the HV terminal assembly. To accommodate connector side bus bars 606a and 606b extending in either direction from the terminal frame 516, the spring portions 526a and 526b are configured to extend toward the middle portion 534 of the terminal frame 516. The orientation of the spring portions 526a and 526b within the opening of the terminal frame 516 allows the connector side bus bars 506a and 506b to be inserted vertically (i.e., from the top) into the terminal frame 516 (as shown in
Referring now to
Having inserted the terminal assembly 514 and the terminal retainer 612 within the housing assembly 610, the header side bus bar 604 is inserted within the header assembly 608. The header side bus bar 604 is inserted from below the header assembly 608 and is inserted through the terminal retainer 612 and into the terminal frame 514. In some embodiments, this allows the header assembly 608 to be mounted over the top of a header side bus bar 604, wherein the header side bus bar 608 is then moved into position within the header assembly 608. In some embodiments, the header side bus bar 604 is retained and locked in place by the terminal retainer 612. In other embodiments, the position of the header side bus bar 604 is maintained by the terminal retainer 612, but is not locked in place by the terminal retainer 612. Having positioned the header side bus bar 604 within the header assembly 608, connector side bus bars 606a and 606b may be inserted into the opening 615 on the header assembly 608. In some embodiments, connector side bus bar 606a is provided from a first direction and connector side bus bar 606b is provided from a second direction opposite the first. In this way, the header assembly 608 is bi-directional. In some embodiments, the insertion of the connector side bus bar 606a into the opening 615 causes compression of the spring portion 526a, which in response generates a normal force on the connector side bus bar 606a that presses the connector side bus bar 606a into contact with the header side bus bar 604. Likewise, the insertion of the connector side bus bar 606b into the opening 615 causes compression of the spring portion 526b, which in response generates a normal force on the connector side bus bar 606b that presses the connector side bus bar 606b into contact with the header side bus bar 604. In some embodiments, connector side bus bars 606a and 606b include indentations 620a and 620b, respectively, for receiving the spring portions 526a and 526b, respectively. Engagement of the indentations 620a and 620b with the spring portions 526a and 526b prevents the connector side bus bars 606a and 606b from moving within the header assembly 608.
In contrast with the header assembly 108 shown in
While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment(s), it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A high voltage (HV) terminal frame comprising:
- a terminal frame having at least a top portion, a bottom portion, and a middle portion forming an opening for receiving at least a first bus bar; and
- a contact spring configured to engage the top portion of the terminal frame, wherein the contact spring includes a first spring portion extending into the opening of the terminal frame.
2. The HV terminal frame of claim 1, wherein the terminal frame is fabricated from a first material having a first uniform thickness and the contact spring is fabricated from a second material having a second uniform thickness.
3. The HV terminal from of claim 2, wherein the first uniform thickness is greater than the second uniform thickness.
4. The HV terminal frame of claim 2, wherein the first material and the second material are dissimilar.
5. The HV terminal frame of claim 2, wherein the first material and the second material are stainless steel.
6. The HV terminal frame of claim 1, wherein the contact spring is C-shaped and includes a first portion, a middle portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are configured to wrap around opposite ends of the top portion of the terminal frame to prevent movement in a forward and backward direction.
7. The HV terminal frame of claim 1, wherein the contact spring includes a cut-out formed in the middle portion and a spring extending across the cut-out, wherein the spring is bent to contact the top portion of the terminal frame.
8. The HV terminal frame of claim 7, wherein the top portion of the terminal frame includes a groove configured to the receive the spring extending across the cut-out, wherein engagement of the spring within the groove prevents movement of the contact spring along a direction the contact spring is slid over the top portion of the terminal frame.
9. The HV terminal frame of claim 1, wherein the middle portion of the terminal frame includes an aperture configured to receive a header side bus bar.
10. The HV terminal frame of claim 8, wherein the contact spring includes a second spring portion extending into the opening of the terminal frame, wherein the first spring portion is configured to contact the first bus bar positioned in a first orientation and the second spring portion is configured to contact the first bus bar positioned in a second orientation.
11. A header assembly comprising:
- a housing assembly having at least a first opening for receiving a first bus bar;
- a two-piece terminal assembly including a terminal frame and a contact spring engaged with the terminal frame, wherein the two-piece terminal assembly is positioned within the housing assembly; and
- a terminal position assurance (TPA) positioned within the housing assembly adjacent to the two-piece terminal assembly.
12. The header assembly of claim 11, wherein the terminal frame is fabricated from a first material having a first uniform thickness and the contact spring is fabricated from a second material having a second uniform thickness, wherein the second thickness is less than the first thickness.
13. The header assembly of claim 11, wherein the terminal frame is fabricated from a first material and the contact spring is fabricated from a second material.
14. The header assembly of claim 13, wherein the first material and the second material are dissimilar.
15. The header assembly of claim 13, wherein the first material and the second material are stainless steel.
16. The header assembly of claim 11, wherein the terminal frame includes at least a top portion, a bottom portion, and a middle portion forming an opening for receiving a first bus bar and a second bus bar, and wherein the contact spring is C-shaped and includes a first portion, a middle portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion and the second portion are configured to wrap around opposite ends of the top portion of the terminal frame to prevent movement in a forward and backward direction.
17. The header assembly of claim 16, wherein the contact spring includes a cut-out formed in the middle portion and a spring extending across the cut-out, wherein the spring is bent to contact the top portion of the terminal frame.
18. The header assembly of claim 17, wherein the top portion of the terminal frame includes a groove configured to the receive the spring extending across the cut-out, wherein engagement of the spring within the groove prevents movement of the contact spring along a direction the contact spring is slid over the top portion of the terminal frame.
19. The header assembly of claim 11, wherein the terminal frame includes at least a top portion, a bottom portion, and a middle portion, wherein the middle portion of the terminal frame includes an aperture configured to receive a header side bus bar.
20. The header assembly of claim 19, wherein the contact spring includes a first spring portion and a second spring portion located adjacent to the first spring portion, wherein both the first spring portion and the second spring portion extend into the opening of the terminal frame, wherein the first spring portion is configured to contact the first bus bar oriented in a first orientation and the second spring portion is configured to contact the first bus bar oriented in a second orientation opposite the first orientation.
Type: Application
Filed: May 11, 2022
Publication Date: Nov 17, 2022
Inventors: Nicholas A. Durse (Youngstown, OH), Don E. Bizon (Boardman, OH), William C. Lovitz (Niles, OH), Michael L. Mellott (Youngstown, OH)
Application Number: 17/741,938