IP Library Granted Patent US 12,431,670
Granted Patent B2
US 12,431,670 · App. 17/883,762 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

Charging inlet assembly having a proximity resistor assembly

Inventors: Matthew Bryan Hitchcock (Hershey, PA); Hurley Chester Moll (Hershey, PA); Kevin John Peterson (Kernersville, NC); Clara Marguerite Rhodes (Winston Salem, NC); Aaron James de Chazal (Rochester, MI)
Assignee: TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH
H01R13/6616B60L53/16H01R2201/26
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,431,670
App. No.
17/883,762
Granted
Sep 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A charging inlet assembly includes a housing having a DC section having DC terminals received in DC terminal channels for mating with the DC charging connector and AC terminals received in AC terminal channels for mating with the AC charging connector. The DC terminals include a proximity terminal and a ground terminal. The proximity and ground terminals include terminating ends received in a rear cavity of the housing. The charging inlet assembly includes a proximity resistor assembly received in the rear cavity having a resistor, a first resistor conductor coupled between the resistor and the terminating end of the proximity terminal, and a second resistor conductor coupled between the resistor and the terminating end of the ground terminal.

Claims (33)

1. A charging inlet assembly comprising:

a housing extending between a front and a rear, the housing having a DC section including DC terminal channels, the housing having an AC section including AC terminal channels, the DC section configured for mating with a DC charging connector at the front, the AC section configured for mating with an AC charging connector at the front, the housing including a rear cavity at the rear;

DC terminals received in the corresponding DC terminal channels for mating with the DC charging connector, the DC terminals including a proximity terminal and a ground terminal, the proximity terminal including a terminating end received in the rear cavity, the ground terminal including a terminating end received in the rear cavity;

AC terminals received in the corresponding AC terminal channels for mating with the AC charging connector; and

a proximity resistor assembly received in the rear cavity, the proximity resistor assembly including a resistor, a first resistor conductor coupled between the resistor and the terminating end of the proximity terminal, and a second resistor conductor coupled between the resistor and the terminating end of the ground terminal.

2. The charging inlet assembly of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a nest in the rear cavity proximate to the DC terminal channels holding the proximity terminal and the ground terminal, the resistor being received in the nest.

3. The charging inlet assembly of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes an end wall at a front of the rear cavity, the proximity terminal and the ground terminal passing through the end wall into the rear cavity, the resistor being coupled to the end wall, the first and second resistor conductors being coupled to the end wall.

4. The charging inlet assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first resistor conductor includes a first resistor contact having a mating beam engaging the terminating end of the proximity terminal, the second resistor conductor including a second resistor contact having a mating beam engaging the terminating end of the ground terminal.

5. The charging inlet assembly of claim 4 , wherein the first resistor contact includes a terminating end terminated to a first lead of the resistor, the second resistor contact including a terminating end terminated to a second lead of the resistor.

6. The charging inlet assembly of claim 5 , wherein the terminating end of the first resistor contact includes an insulation displacement contact terminated to the first lead, the terminating end of the second resistor contact including an insulation displacement contact terminated to the second lead.

7. The charging inlet assembly of claim 4 , wherein the first resistor contact is press-fit into the housing, the second resistor contact being press-fit into the housing.

8. The charging inlet assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a retainer assembly received in the rear cavity rearward of the proximity resistor assembly, the retainer assembly including a retainer insert holding the resistor in the cavity and a seal in the rear cavity sealingly coupled to the housing.

9. The charging inlet assembly of claim 8 , wherein the seal includes seal bores receiving DC cables terminated to ends of the corresponding DC terminals, the seal being sealingly coupled to the DC cables.

10. The charging inlet assembly of claim 8 , wherein the retainer assembly includes a cover coupled to the housing to hold the retainer insert and the seal in the rear cavity.

11. The charging inlet assembly of claim 8 , further comprising DC cables and DC contacts terminated to ends of the DC cables, the DC contacts being coupled to the corresponding DC terminals.

12. The charging inlet assembly of claim 11 , wherein the retainer insert includes bores that receive the corresponding DC contacts, the retainer insert including latches extending into the bores to secure the DC contacts in the bores.

13. The charging inlet assembly of claim 11 , wherein the DC contacts include flanges, the retainer insert including stop shoulders in the bores, the flanges being captured between the stop shoulders and the latches to retain the DC contacts in the bores.

14. A charging inlet assembly comprising:

a housing extending between a front and a rear, the housing having a DC section including DC terminal channels, the housing having an AC section including AC terminal channels, the DC section configured for mating with a DC charging connector at the front, the AC section configured for mating with an AC charging connector at the front, the housing including a rear cavity at the rear;

DC terminals received in the corresponding DC terminal channels for mating with the DC charging connector, the DC terminals including a proximity terminal and a ground terminal, the proximity terminal including a terminating end received in the rear cavity, the ground terminal including a terminating end received in the rear cavity;

AC terminals received in the corresponding AC terminal channels for mating with the AC charging connector; and

a proximity resistor assembly received in the rear cavity, the proximity resistor assembly including a resistor having a first lead and a second lead, a first resistor contact terminated to the first lead and having a mating end coupled to the terminating end of the proximity terminal, and a second resistor contact terminated to the second lead and having a mating end coupled to the terminating end of the ground terminal.

15. A charging inlet assembly comprising:

a housing extending between a front and a rear, the housing having a DC section including DC terminal channels, the housing having an AC section including AC terminal channels, the DC section configured for mating with a DC charging connector at the front, the AC section configured for mating with an AC charging connector at the front, the housing including a rear cavity at the rear;

DC terminals received in the corresponding DC terminal channels for mating with the DC charging connector, the DC terminals including a proximity terminal and a ground terminal, the proximity terminal including a terminating end received in the rear cavity, the ground terminal including a terminating end received in the rear cavity;

AC terminals received in the corresponding AC terminal channels for mating with the AC charging connector;

a proximity resistor assembly received in the rear cavity, the proximity resistor assembly including a resistor, a first resistor conductor coupled between the resistor and the terminating end of the proximity terminal, and a second resistor conductor coupled between the resistor and the terminating end of the ground terminal; and

a retainer assembly received in the rear cavity rearward of the proximity resistor assembly, the retainer assembly including a retainer insert holding the resistor in the rear cavity and a seal in the rear cavity being sealing coupled to the housing.

16. The charging inlet assembly of claim 15 , wherein the seal includes seal bores receiving DC cables terminated to ends of the corresponding DC terminals, the seal being sealingly coupled to the DC cables.

17. The charging inlet assembly of claim 15 , wherein the retainer assembly includes a cover coupled to the housing to hold the retainer insert and the seal in the rear cavity.

18. The charging inlet assembly of claim 15 , further comprising DC cables and DC contacts terminated to ends of the DC cables, the DC contacts being coupled to the corresponding DC terminals.

19. The charging inlet assembly of claim 18 , wherein the retainer insert includes bores that receive the corresponding DC contacts, the retainer insert including latches extending into the bores to secure the DC contacts in the bores.

20. The charging inlet assembly of claim 18 , wherein the DC contacts include flanges, the retainer insert including stop shoulders in the bores, the flanges being captured between the stop shoulders and the latches to retain the DC contacts in the bores.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Aug 10, 2022
From: TE CONNECTIVITY SERVICES GMBH
To: TE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS GMBH
Reel/Frame 060769/0258 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 9, 2022
From: HITCHCOCK, MATTHEW BRYAN; MOLL, HURLEY CHESTER; PETERSON, KEVIN JOHN; RHODES, CLARA MARGUERITE; DE CHAZAL, AARON JAMES
To: TE CONNECTIVITY SERVICES GMBH
Reel/Frame 060754/0234 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63234673 · Aug 18, 2021
Related Publication 20230054502A1 · Feb 23, 2023
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