EV Charging Holster Imaging Lockout for Damaged Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) charging cables and connectors are prone to damage and misuse, making it difficult for human operators to detect physical abnormalities such as cracks or debris, leading to potential charging issues and safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
Integration of an image capture device within the holster of the EVSE that captures high-resolution images of the charging connector, which are analyzed using computer vision or machine learning to detect physical abnormalities, triggering an automated locking mechanism to prevent further use until maintenance is performed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If human operators manually inspect charging connectors for damage, then the system can identify damaged connectors, but the inspection may not detect damage as soon as it occurs and is prone to human error
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual human inspection with an automated image capture device and analysis system. The image capture device takes photographs of the charging connector, and a controller analyzes these images to detect physical abnormalities such as cracks, bends, or foreign objects. This substitution of mechanical/optical automation for human manual inspection enables continuous monitoring without time loss and improves detection accuracy by eliminating human error.
2Productivity
If charging connectors are continuously used without inspection, then productivity is maintained, but damaged connectors may cause safety hazards and charging issues
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary inspection by capturing images of the charging connector before each charging operation. The controller analyzes these images to detect any physical abnormalities in advance. If damage is detected, the system prevents charging operations from proceeding. This preliminary action ensures that productivity is not compromised by unexpected failures while maintaining reliability by identifying and preventing use of damaged connectors before they can cause safety hazards.
3Reliability
If manual inspection is performed frequently to ensure safety, then connector damage is detected, but charging operations are interrupted and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous monitoring of charging connector condition through automated image capture and analysis. Instead of interrupting charging operations for manual inspections, the image capture device continuously or periodically captures images of the connector, and the controller continuously analyzes these images for damage. This continuous automated monitoring ensures connector safety without interrupting charging operations, thereby maintaining productivity while improving reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) holster including a locking mechanism and an image capture device is described herein. The image capture device is configured to capture image data relating to a connector face of the charging connector when the charging connector is inserted into the holster. The image data is then analyzed to determine if a physical abnormality is present on the charging connector (for example, damage to the charging connector or debris lodged in the charging connector. If a physical abnormality is detected, the locking mechanism is actuated to lock the charging connector to the holster until maintenance is performed on the charging connector.