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US 11,951,857 B2Granted
Liquid cooled electrical connectors
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsNicholas B. Chase, Myung Ki Sung, Man Prakash Gupta, Alfredo R. Munoz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This disclosure describes liquid cooled electrical connectors for connecting components of electrified vehicles or components of any other type of power connection/power transfer system. Exemplary electrical connectors include integrated cooling circuits that employ heat exchanger channels for circulating a fluid for convectively cooling bus bars of the connector.
Claims20
An electrical connector, comprising:
- a housing;
- and
- a bus bar extending within the housing,
- wherein the housing includes an integrated cooling circuit that includes a first heat exchanger channel disposed on a first side of the bus bar and a second heat exchanger channel disposed on a second side of the bus bar,
- wherein the first heat exchanger channel and the second heat exchanger channel are each configured to receive a fluid for convectively cooling the bus bar.
2 more elements
An electrified vehicle, comprising:
- an electrified powertrain component;
- and
- an electrical connector connected to the electrified powertrain component,
- wherein the electrical connector includes a housing, a bus bar extending within the housing, and an integrated cooling circuit disposed inside the housing at a location proximate the bus bar,
- wherein at least a portion of the bus bar is located axially between a first heat exchanger channel and a second heat exchanger channel of the integrated cooling circuit,
- wherein the first heat exchanger channel and the second heat exchanger channel of the integrated cooling circuit are each configured to receive a fluid for convectively cooling the bus bar.
3 more elements
An electrical connector, comprising:
- a housing;
- a bus bar extending inside the housing;
- and
- an integrated cooling circuit formed inside the housing at a location adjacent to the bus bar, the integrated cooling circuit including:
- a first heat exchanger channel disposed on a first side of the bus bar;
- a second heat exchanger channel disposed on a second side of the bus bar;
- a first inlet junction passage and a first outlet junction passage connected to the first heat exchanger channel;
- a second inlet junction passage and a second outlet junction passage connected to the second heat exchanger channel;
- an inlet passage connected to the first inlet junction passage and the second inlet junction passage and adapted for introducing a fluid into the first heat exchanger channel and the second heat exchanger channel;
- and
- an outlet passage connected to the first outlet junction passage and the second outlet junction passage and adapted for expelling the fluid from the first heat exchanger channel and the second heat exchanger channel.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.