Conductive Path Structure with Cut-Off Facilitating Portion
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Solution Overview
Problem
High voltage wire harnesses in hybrid and electric motor vehicles are prone to being cut off during collisions, leading to dangerous electrical currents flowing into conductive members or the vehicle body frame.
Innovation Solution
A conductive path structure featuring a conductor with a cut-off facilitating portion and a semi-solid state insulation member that covers the cut-off portions, preventing exposure and electrical contact when the conductor is cut.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the high voltage wire is designed without special protective structures, then the wire harness is simple and easy to manufacture, but the conductor may be cut off during collisions causing dangerous electrical currents
Solution Approach 1:
The semi-solid state insulation member is pre-positioned to cover the cut-off facilitating portion before any collision occurs. This preliminary protective measure ensures that when the conductor is cut off during a collision, the exposed ends are already insulated, preventing dangerous electrical currents without requiring complex additional protective structures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the unique properties of semi-solid state materials (jelly, gel, grease, or paste states) that can remain in place at the cut-off portion. By changing the physical state parameter of the insulation member from solid to semi-solid, it achieves both conformability to the conductor shape and positional stability to prevent exposure of cut ends
2Reliability
If a cut-off facilitating portion is added to the conductor, then the conductor can be easily separated when cut off by impact, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The conductor is segmented into distinct portions: the first conductive portion, the cut-off facilitating portion (with grooves, notches, or reduced thickness), and the second conductive portion. This segmentation allows the conductor to cleanly separate at the facilitating portion when impacted, while the semi-solid state insulation member covers this segmented area to prevent exposure of the separated ends
Solution Approach 2:
The cut-off facilitating portion has locally modified properties (grooves, notches, or reduced thickness) specifically at the location where cut-off is expected during collision. This localized structural modification enables easy separation only at the critical area without changing the entire conductor structure
Data Source
AI summary
A conductive path structure includes a conductor that includes a first conductive portion and a second conductive portion which are connected to each other through a cut-off facilitating portion, and a semi-solid state insulation member that is in a semi-solid state and covers the cut-off facilitating portion. When the cut-off facilitating portion is cut off so as to separate the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion to each other due to an impact applied to the cut-off facilitating portion, the semi-solid state insulation member covers end portions of the separated first conductive portion and the separated second conductive portion which are close to the cut-out facilitating portion.