Electrical equipment for an automobile vehicle

The subject matter of the invention is an electrical equipment, notably configured to be on board a vehicle, including an electronic board, a female electrical connector transferred onto the electronic board and configured to receive a blade so as to electrically connect it with the electronic board. Said connector includes two claws opposite and at a distance from each other, the two claws being configured to receive said blade while each coming around a respective lateral trench of the blade.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Generally speaking, the invention relates to an electrical equipment including an electronic board, notably configured to be on board an automobile vehicle, such as an automobile vehicle with an electric or hybrid engine.

More specifically, the electrical equipment is dedicated to the context of an electric or hybrid vehicle driven at least in part by an electric engine.

BACKGROUND

Electronic boards receiving electrical components, notably on their surface, are known. Such electronic boards may be brought to be electrically connected with an electrical component including one or more blade-shaped electrical terminals. To this end, the electronic board generally includes a connector transferred onto the board and forming a female connector into which the blade is inserted. In industrial manufacturing conditions, the direction of insertion Di is generally perpendicular with respect to a face of the electronic board. There may be a misalignment between the opening of the female connector and the blade, which can lead to an impossibility of introducing the blade into the connector of the electronic board in a sufficient manner for an efficient electrical connection. A female connector1represented inFIG. 1is known including a claw10coming opposite an extremal edge51of the blade50so as to compensate for a misalignment of the blade in its direction of introduction Di into the female connector. The connector1also makes it possible to manage a lateral misalignment of the blade50, that is to say along a transversal direction, notably perpendicular, with respect to the direction Di of introduction of the blade50into the female connector1. However, this connector1only enables an introduction of the blade50following a single sense along the direction Di of introduction of the blade, that is to say from below the connector1such as represented inFIG. 1. The connector1does not make it possible to introduce the blade50along the same direction Di, but from below. Yet, depending on the cluttering of the environment of the electronic board2or the components having to be connected to the electronic board2, it may be advantageous to insert the blade50from a side of the board2which is opposite to that where the claw10extends.

There thus exists a need for an electrical equipment in which a connector of an electronic board enables several senses of insertion of a connection blade, notably along a direction perpendicular to the electronic board.

SUMMARY

To this end, the invention firstly relates to an electrical equipment, notably configured to be on board a vehicle, including:an electronic board,a female electrical connector transferred onto the electronic board and configured to receive a blade so as to electrically connect it with the electronic board, said connector including two claws opposite and at a distance from each other, the two claws being configured to receive said blade by each coming around a respective lateral edge of the blade.

Thus, the two claws enable an introduction of the blade in both senses along a direction perpendicular to the electronic board. Thus, the blade may come into the connector from a side of the electronic board where the claws are located, or the blade may come into the connector from a side of the electronic board opposite to the side where the claws are located providing the electronic board so allows. The connector according to the invention thus enables greater possibility of insertion of the blade than in the prior art. Moreover, thanks to the two claws, the female electrical connector is tolerant to a lateral misalignment of the blade with respect to a nominal position of the blade.

According to an embodiment, the claws are respectively formed by at least two opposite spring blades, configured such that a return force brings them towards each other.

According to an alternative, the spring blades are mechanically connected together by a portion, designated linking portion, configured to come opposite a lateral edge of the blade.

According to an alternative, the linking portions are separated by a distance greater than the sum of a width of the blade and a lateral placement uncertainty of the blade.

According to an embodiment, the connector includes two independent parts positioned opposite each other on the electronic board, each independent part including one of said claws.

According to an alternative, said independent parts are identical.

According to an embodiment, the electronic board includes a through hole configured to receive the blade, the claws being positioned at the periphery of said hole so as to receive said blade.

According to an embodiment, the electrical equipment further includes an electrical component comprising a blade-shaped electrical terminal, and the blade is received in the claws of the connector of the electronic board so as to be electrically connected with the electronic board.

According to an embodiment, the electrical equipment forms an inverter configured to control an electrical machine.

It should be noted that the figures explain the invention in a detailed manner for implementing the invention, said figures obviously being able to serve to better define the invention if needs be.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 2illustrates an example of an electrical equipment according to the invention, which includes an electronic board30and a female connector40receiving a blade50.

The blade50is received in the female connector40to electrically connect with the electronic board30, in particular along a direction Di perpendicular to the electronic board30. Notably, at least one electrical path of the electronic board30is connected to the connector40to connect it to other components60of the electronic board30.

The connector40includes two claws42that are opposite each other and at a distance with respect to each other. The two claws42each come around a lateral edge52of the blade50. The two claws42make it possible to make up for lateral misalignment of the blade50. In other words, the two claws42make it possible to make up for a misalignment of the blade50with respect to a nominal position, along a transversal direction Dt, notably perpendicular with respect to the direction Di of introduction of the blade50into the female connector40. Referring toFIG. 5, which represents a blade50configured to come into the female connector40, the direction Dt along which the misalignment is made up may correspond to a straight line linking a lateral edge52of the blade50to another lateral edge52opposite, said straight line being perpendicular to the direction of insertion Di.

FIG. 3illustrates a case in which the blade50is misaligned with respect to a nominal position illustrated inFIG. 2. It should be noted that the claws42of the connector40conserve an electrical contact with the blade50, even when said blade is laterally offset with respect to the nominal position. Without the claw42towards which the blade50is laterally offset, such as for example illustrated inFIG. 4, the electrical connection between the blade50and the connector40is only made by the remaining claw42. Yet the contact surface between the remaining claw42and the blade50may then not be sufficient for an efficient electrical contact between the blade50and the electronic board30. Once again referring toFIG. 3, thanks to the claw42towards which the blade50is laterally offset, the contact surface lost on one side of the connector40is compensated by the contact surface gained on the other side of the connector40.

Notably, each claw42is formed by two spring blades420that a return force brings towards each other. In particular, the blades420of a claw42are produced from a same cut and folded sheet. Notably, the spring blades420are mechanically connected together by a linking portion422which is opposite from the lateral edge52of the blade50. The linking portions422may be separated by a distance A which is greater than the sum of a width L of the blade50and a lateral placement uncertainty d of the blade50. Thus, the linking portions420do not limit the positioning of the blade50in the female connector40. The female connector40is thus adapted to withstand a lateral positioning uncertainty of the blade50. For example, the blades420of a claw42may extend parallel to the electronic board30, notably to one face of the electronic board30, in their conformation implementing their spring function. For comparison, in the connector1of the prior art illustrated inFIG. 1, the blades120extend perpendicularly with respect to the electronic board2, in their conformation implementing their spring function.

The claws42may be formed in two independent parts40a,40b, for example as illustrated inFIGS. 2 to 4. In other words, the connector40includes two parts40a,40bwhich are independent. The two parts40a,40bdo not have a common part and are mechanically linked together through the electronic board30, and optionally the blade50. In particular, the parts40a,40bare identical. Thus, the connector40may be obtained easily by using two examples of a single type of connector, each example receiving a respective lateral edge52of the blade50. The connector40, notably the two independent parts40a,40b, may be fixed onto the electronic board30by an SMC (surface mounted component) method or by a PTP (pin through paste) method in which pins of the connector40or the independent parts40a,40bare inserted into holes of the electronic board30provided with soldering paste. The soldering paste notably includes a conductive alloy.

Moreover, the connector40makes it possible to insert the blade50along the direction Di of insertion in the two senses. As is for example visible inFIG. 4, the electronic board30may include a through hole32, on the edges of which the claws42, in particular the independent parts40a,40b, are positioned. Notably, the female connector40is mounted on a first face30aof the electronic board30. When the blade50is introduced into the female connector40by the face opposite to the first face30aof the electronic board30, the hole32enables access into the female connector40. In an alternative, not represented, when the blade50is introduced into the female connector40by the first face30aof the electronic board30, the hole32allows the blade50to pass through the first face30ain the case where the blade50could descend further forward into the connector40with respect to a nominal position along the direction of insertion Di. In both cases, the hole32enables a visual adjustment of the positioning of the blade50with the female connector40when only a visual of the face of the board which is opposite to the face of the board opposite from which comes the blade50is available.

For example, the blade50is an electrical connection terminal of a capacitive block. The electronic board30is for example configured to produce an active discharge of the capacitive block during a malfunction of the electrical equipment, or of the vehicle containing the electrical equipment.

The electrical equipment could be an inverter, notably an inverter on board a vehicle to control an electrical machine, notably driving the vehicle. Alternatively, the electrical equipment could be an electric charger configured to charge an electric battery. Notably, the electrical equipment is an on board electric charger, commonly designated by those skilled in the art by the acronym OBC, used for recharging a high voltage power supply battery of the vehicle. The electrical equipment could further be a DC-DC converter, notably on board a vehicle in order to convert a voltage between low and high voltage networks of the vehicle.