Charging Plug Latch Detection for Damaged Lock Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Charging plugs face mechanical damage due to misuse or vandalism, leading to potential separation during high-power charging, which can cause arcs and safety risks, and existing locking systems fail to reliably detect damage to latching bodies.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a detecting element within the latching body exposed to mechanical stress, monitored by a sensor unit, which prevents charging if the latching connection is compromised, ensuring safe operation by interrupting the charging process if damage is detected.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking system with position switch is used to prevent separation, then separation prevention is improved, but reliability deteriorates because the latching body can be damaged or broken off due to mechanical loads
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor unit continuously monitors the latching body's position and integrity before separation can occur. By detecting the latching body's state in advance, the system can prevent separation by interrupting the charging process or activating the locking mechanism before damage occurs, thus resolving the contradiction between prevention capability and component durability.
2Productivity
If the position switch detects latching body position, then charging control is improved, but safety deteriorates when the latching body is damaged and the switch fails to recognize the damaged state
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor unit provides continuous feedback about the latching body's position and integrity to the control system. This feedback mechanism allows the system to detect damaged states that the position switch would miss, ensuring that charging is interrupted when the latching body is compromised, thus resolving the contradiction between charging control efficiency and safety recognition.
3Ease of operation
If the latching body is exposed to mechanical loads, then locking functionality is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates because damage detection becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical position switch with a sensor unit that can detect the latching body's state without mechanical contact. This substitution allows the system to maintain locking functionality under mechanical loads while improving damage detection accuracy, as the sensor can detect subtle changes in the latching body's position or integrity that would not be detectable by a mechanical switch.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a charging plug (100) for coupling to a corresponding plug connection (200) and for transmitting electrical energy, said charging plug comprising a charging plug housing (110) having a latching body (10) which is provided for establishing a detachable frictional and/or interlocking connection between the charging plug (100) and the plug connection (200) together with a corresponding latching body (20) of the plug connection (200), the latching body (10) having at least one detecting element (11) in a portion of the latching body (10) which is provided for frictional and/or interlocking connection to the corresponding latching body (20), and the charging plug housing (110) having at least one sensor unit (111) by means of which the detecting element (11).