Charging Socket Locking Passage Within the Sealing Region
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing charging socket designs require external actuators for locking mechanisms, which occupy significant installation space and necessitate additional electrical conductors for power supply, complicating the integration of safety systems within the sealing region.
Innovation Solution
A socket design with a detachable actuator mounted outside the housing, featuring a passage that penetrates the housing within the sealing region to guide a locking element, allowing for internal actuation and activation without external conductors, optimizing space usage and sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an external actuator is mounted outside the housing for locking mechanisms, then the locking function is achieved, but significant installation space is occupied and additional electrical conductors are required
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is integrated into the housing structure, merging the locking mechanism with the housing itself. The housing contains internal cavities and passages that accommodate the actuator components, eliminating the need for separate external actuator mounts and reducing overall installation space.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator components are nested within the housing structure. The locking element is received in a cavity formed in the housing, and the actuator operates within the housing boundaries, creating a nested arrangement that optimizes space utilization.
2Reliability
If an external actuator is mounted outside the housing, then the locking mechanism can be actuated, but additional electrical conductors are required for power supply and activation
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection system is merged with the mechanical housing structure. Electrical conductors are routed through existing housing passages and integrated with the internal actuator components, eliminating the need for separate external wiring harnesses and reducing overall system complexity.
3Device complexity
If the locking element is guided through the sealing region, then internal actuation is achieved, but electronic and electromechanical components are exposed to harmful media
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into distinct functional regions: a sealed region containing electronic and electromechanical components protected from harmful media, and an unsealed region for the actuator operation. The locking element traverses a defined passage that separates these zones, allowing mechanical function while maintaining sealing integrity for sensitive components.
Solution Approach 2:
A sealed passage or channel within the housing acts as an intermediary pathway for the locking element. This passage provides a controlled transition zone that allows the locking element to move between sealed and unsealed regions while preventing harmful media from entering the sealed region where electronic components are located.
Data Source
AI summary
A socket includes: a housing; and an actuator detachably mountable or mounted on an outside of the housing for actuating a locking element for locking the socket to a connector in a locking position. The housing includes a passage for guiding the locking element through the housing. The passage penetrates the housing and is arranged within a sealing region of the housing.