Charging Connector Housing With Isolated Drain Paths
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current charging connectors for electric vehicles, especially those with high voltage direct current pins, pose a risk of electrical shock in rainy conditions due to water creating a conducting pathway for electricity, potentially forming a closed circuit when the user handles the charging nozzle.
Innovation Solution
A housing design for electrical connectors with separate draining means for different sets of orifices, isolating fluids based on potential, ensuring that high voltage fluids are not evacuated towards the user, thereby preventing the formation of a closed circuit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If drains are provided in charging connectors to evacuate water from cavities, then water drainage capability is improved, but the risk of creating conducting pathways for leakage current increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple isolated draining means, each dedicated to specific orifices. The first draining means evacuates fluid from the first set of orifices, while the second draining means evacuates fluid from the second set of orifices. These draining means are isolated from each other, preventing fluid communication between different potential zones, thus eliminating the conducting pathway risk while maintaining drainage capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure acts as an intermediary barrier that physically separates and isolates the draining paths of different potential zones. By providing dedicated draining means for each set of orifices with isolation between them, the housing prevents direct fluid communication that could create conducting pathways, while still allowing each zone to evacuate fluid independently.
2Device complexity
If a single draining system is used for all orifices, then device complexity is reduced, but fluid isolation between different potentials cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a single unified draining system, the patent segments the draining function into multiple independent draining means. Each draining means is associated with specific orifices and evacuates fluid independently. This segmentation ensures that fluid from different potential zones remains isolated, preventing conducting pathways while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular design.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention concerns a housing for an electrical connector, in particular for an electrical connector of a charging device for an electric vehicle, comprising a first set of orifices (16, 18, 20) and a second set of orifices (22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32) intended to receive the pins of an electrical connector, the orifices (16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32) being holes passing through the housing from a first interface (12) of the housing towards a second interface (14) of the housing in a connecting direction (E), the first interface (12) of the housing being designed to be coupled with a housing of a mating electrical connector in the connecting direction (E). The housing is characterized in that it comprises a first draining means which is suitable for evacuating a fluid coming from the first set of orifices (16, 18, 20), and the housing comprises a second draining means which is suitable for evacuating a fluid coming from the second set of orifices such that the first draining means and the second draining means are isolated from each other, preventing fluid communication between a fluid coming from the first set of orifices (16, 18, 20) and a fluid coming from the second set of orifices (22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32).