Charging Plug Potting Collar for Void-Free Sealing Chambers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing solutions for charging plugs in battery-electric vehicles face challenges in ensuring consistent potting quality and geometric limitations, particularly with high-current connectors like MCS charging plugs, leading to potential voids and reduced wall thickness, which compromises sealing reliability and mechanical strength.
Innovation Solution
A potting collar is integrated into the charging plug housing to enclose contact elements and create defined sealing chambers, allowing controlled application and verification of potting compound, ensuring complete filling and enhanced sealing reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If the sealing space volume is reduced to minimize material usage and reduce costs, then the amount of potting compound required decreases, but the wall thickness is reduced and the flow gap becomes narrower, which worsens the ability to achieve flawless potting and increases the risk of voids and defects
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing space is divided into multiple sealing chambers using partition walls, allowing the potting compound to be applied in a controlled manner to each chamber. This segmentation enables complete filling of each chamber without voids while maintaining overall compact design, thus achieving both material efficiency and high potting quality.
2Loss of substance
If the wall thickness is reduced to minimize material usage, then the amount of material required decreases, but the mechanical strength and sealing reliability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Different wall thicknesses are implemented in different regions of the charging plug housing. Critical areas requiring high mechanical strength and sealing reliability have thicker walls, while non-critical areas have reduced wall thickness to minimize material usage. This local differentiation optimizes both material efficiency and structural strength.
3Speed
If the charging current capacity is increased to enable faster charging, then the charging speed increases, but the heating of cables and contact elements increases, requiring more stringent sealing and thermal management
Solution Approach 1:
A potting compound is applied as an intermediary material that provides both thermal management and sealing functions. The compound fills the sealing space and creates a protective barrier that manages heat dissipation while maintaining reliable electrical connections, enabling high current capacity without excessive heating.
4Loss of substance
If the sealing space is designed with reduced volume to minimize material usage, then the amount of potting compound required decreases, but the ability to verify complete filling is limited, making quality control more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The partition walls create distinct sealing chambers that provide visual feedback during the potting process. The segmented structure allows operators to verify complete filling of each chamber individually, providing immediate feedback on potting quality while maintaining compact overall design and minimizing material usage.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a charging plug with at least two contact elements for a detachable, electrically conductive connection of a battery-electric vehicle to a charging station, comprising a charging plug housing for enclosing the at least two contact elements, wherein a potting collar is arranged at least partially in the charging plug housing and encloses the contact elements at least in one section, so that a sealing space is provided for potting with a potting compound.