Sealed battery charger housing
AssigneeLear Corporation
InventorsNadir Sharaf, John M. Van Dyke, Richard J. Hampo, Slobodan Pavlovic, Rutunj Rai, Reinhard Pusch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A housing or other enclosure used to facilitate fluid cooling of a circuitry of a battery charger, such as but not limited to a battery charger of the type used to facilitate charging a high voltage vehicle battery with AC energy provided from a utility power grid. The housing may include a groove and seal arrangement operable to seal a fluid coolant chamber used to cool the circuitry from leaking fluid during use.
Claims16
A housing for use in cooling first and second circuit assemblies with a fluid, the housing comprising:
- a first coldplate having a top side operable to receive the first circuit assembly;
- a second coldplate having a bottom side operable to receive the second circuit assembly;
- a fluid cooling chamber through which the fluid flows to cool the first and second circuit assemblies, the fluid cooling chamber formed by a bottom side of the first coldplate and a top side of the second coldplate when the first and second coldplates are adjoined;
- a fluid cooling chamber groove within the second coldplate around an entire outer perimeter of the fluid cooling chamber, the fluid cooling chamber groove having a substantially uniform depth throughout the entire outer perimeter;
- and
- a fluid cooling chamber seal operable to prevent fluid leakage when positioned within the fluid cooling chamber groove;
- wherein each of the first and second coldplates has an aperture formed therein, the apertures of the first and second coldplates configured to cooperate to permit at least one wire to pass through the first and second coldplates to establish an electrical connection between the first and second circuit assemblies when the first and second coldplates are adjoined.
A battery charger housing having the first and second circuit assemblies operable to convert AC energy from a utility power grid to DC energy sufficient for charging a high voltage vehicle battery, the first and second circuit assemblies requiring an electrical interconnection to coordinate control required to convert the AC energy to the DC energy, the housing comprising:
- a first coldplate operable to receive the first circuit assembly;
- a second coldplate operable to receive the second circuit assembly;
- a fluid cooling chamber defined substantially within the second coldplate through which a fluid flows to cool the first and second circuit assemblies;
- wherein each of the first and second coldplates has an aperture formed therein, the apertures of the first and second coldplates configured to cooperate to permit a conductor to extend through the first and second coldplates to create the electrical interconnection between the first circuit assembly and the second circuit assembly when the first and second coldplates are adjoined;
- a fluid cooling chamber groove within the second coldplate around an entire outer perimeter of the fluid cooling chamber;
- a fluid cooling chamber seal operable to prevent fluid leakage when positioned within the fluid cooling chamber groove around the entire outer perimeter of the fluid cooling chamber;
- an aperture groove within the second coldplate around an entire outer perimeter of the aperture of the second coldplate;
- and
- an aperture seal operable to prevent fluid leakage when positioned within the aperture groove.
A housing cooled with a fluid comprising:
- a first coldplate operable to receive a first circuit assembly;
- a second coldplate operable to receive a second circuit assembly;
- a fluid cooling chamber through which the fluid flows to cool the first and second coldplates, the fluid cooling chamber formed by a bottom side of the first coldplate and a top side of the second coldplate when the first and second coldplates are adjoined;
- a fluid cooling chamber groove within the second coldplate around an entire outer perimeter of the fluid cooling chamber, the fluid cooling chamber groove being free of drainage holes;
- a fluid cooling chamber seal operable to prevent fluid leakage when positioned within the fluid cooling chamber groove;
- wherein each of the first and second coldplates has an aperture formed therein, the apertures of the first and second coldplates configured to cooperate to permit a conductor to extend through the first and second coldplates to create a connection between the first circuit assembly and the second circuit assembly when the first and second coldplates are adjoined;
- an aperture groove within the second coldplate around an entire outer perimeter of the aperture of the second coldplate;
- and
- an aperture seal operable to prevent fluid leakage when positioned within the aperture groove.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.