High-Voltage Cable Termination Comb
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical cable assemblies face challenges in maintaining high voltage between adjacent wires without voltage breakdown or leakage, as the distances between contacts are too small, leading to potential deleterious leakage even at low voltages like 100VDC.
Innovation Solution
A wire management comb is used to position contact tails in deep slots, with staggered weld locations and exposed ends held short of the comb's end, creating extended isolation paths between adjacent wires, and welding is done without insulation removal using a heated electrode, with additional access through bottom holes for further isolation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the distance between adjacent contacts is reduced to minimize connector size, then the connector size is reduced, but voltage breakdown and current leakage occur at lower voltages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a management comb structure with deep slots that extend the isolation path in the vertical dimension (depth of slots) rather than increasing horizontal distance between contacts. This allows maintaining small connector footprint while achieving sufficient electrical isolation through the third dimension, resolving the contradiction between compact size and voltage breakdown resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The management comb divides the connector interior into separate isolated slots for each contact tail, creating physical segmentation that prevents electrical breakdown between adjacent contacts. Each slot acts as an independent isolation chamber, allowing high voltage operation despite small horizontal spacing between contacts.
2Ease of manufacture
If insulation material is removed from wires to enable welding, then welding can be performed, but the risk of voltage leakage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The management comb acts as an intermediary structure that provides controlled access to contact tails through slot openings. Welding electrodes can access the contact tails through these slots without requiring removal of wire insulation, and the comb structure itself serves as the insulating barrier that prevents voltage leakage, thus resolving the contradiction between welding ease and leakage prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of stripping insulation with a thermal approach using heated welding electrodes that can penetrate or melt through insulation locally at the welding point. This substitution allows welding to proceed without complete insulation removal, maintaining protection against voltage leakage while enabling electrical connection.
3Reliability
If the isolation path between adjacent wires is extended to prevent voltage breakdown, then voltage resistance is improved, but the connector size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The management comb slots extend the isolation path vertically through the depth of the comb structure rather than horizontally along the connector surface. This dimensional change allows achieving sufficient isolation path length for high voltage resistance without increasing the horizontal footprint of the connector, thus resolving the contradiction between voltage resistance and connector size.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration allows for the support of high voltages like 5000VDC between adjacent wires by increasing the electrical isolation path, reducing the risk of current leakage and voltage breakdown, and minimizing connector size for high-voltage applications.
Implementation Method 1
a heated electrode that melts through the insulation to contact the electrical conductor
Implementation Method 2
electrically welding the wire to the contact tail without removing the insulation
Data Source
AI summary
A linear connector contact array is presented with focus on the tails of the contacts that are connected to individual wires. A wire management comb made from dielectric material positions each wire over its contact's tail. The wire is attached to the tail by electrically welding the wire to the tail without removing the insulating material. This is accomplished with a heated welding electrode that melts through the insulator material until electrical contact is made with the wire. A non-heated electrode is beneath the tail to complete this circuit. The wire management comb has deep channels which form insulating ribs between adjacent wires. The weld sites are staggered, and exposed ends of the contact tails are held short of the end of the management comb.