High-voltage connector having a pre-charge resistor

An electric vehicle comprising:

• a high-voltage battery, wherein the high-voltage battery has a direct current voltage in excess of two hundred volts;
• a load that requires pre-charging;
• and
• a high-voltage connector comprising:
• a first member electrically connected to the high-voltage battery, the first member includes a first positive conductor and a second positive conductor and a first negative conductor and a second negative conductor;
• a second member electrically connected to the load, the second member includes a third positive conductor and a fourth positive conductor connected in parallel and a third negative conductor and a fourth negative conductor connected in parallel;
• and
• a pre-charge resistor disposed within one of the first member and the second member, the pre-charge resistor connected in series between the second positive conductor and the high-voltage battery, wherein the pre-charge resistor has a resistance of approximately twenty to sixty Ohms,
• wherein the high-voltage connector is configured provide electrical power from the high-voltage battery to the load, wherein, when the first member is first connected to the second member, an electrical connection between the high-voltage battery and the load is established through the pre-charge resistor, the second positive conductor, the fourth positive conductor, the third negative conductor, and the first negative conductor before an electrical connection is established through the first positive conductor and the third positive conductor, and wherein the lengths of the conductors are configured such that a delay of approximately two hundred milliseconds is created between when the second positive conductor contacts the fourth positive conductor and when the first positive conductor contacts the third positive conductor.

A electrical connector comprising:

• a first member electrically connected to a high-voltage source, the first member includes a first positive conductor and a second positive conductor and a first negative conductor;
• a second member electrically connected to a load that requires pre-charging, the second member includes a third positive conductor and a fourth positive conductor and a third negative conductor;
• a pre-charge resistor disposed within one of the first member and the second member, the pre-charge resistor connected in series between the second positive conductor and the high-voltage source;
• a first mechanically actuated switch configured to be open when the first member is separated from the second member and to be closed by the first member connecting to the second member;
• a second mechanically actuated switch configured to be open when the first member is separated from the second member and to be closed by the first member connecting to the second member,
• wherein the first member is configured to connect to the second member and to provide electrical power from the high-voltage source to the load, and
• wherein the first mechanically actuated switch is configured to close before the second mechanically actuated switch as the first member is connected to the second member.