EV Charging Cable Winding Unit With Dual Winding Regions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing charging cable solutions for electric vehicles are impractical, often getting dirty and soiled, require manual handling, and face challenges with energy transmission through sliding contacts, while traditional cable drums are bulky and inefficient in space usage.
Innovation Solution
A compact winding unit with a rotationally symmetrical design featuring two winding areas and an exit disc that allows independent control of cable ends, enabling automatic winding and unwinding with a motorized drive, and integrated cleaning units to maintain cleanliness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a standard cable drum is used to wind the charging cable, then the cable can be stored on the drum, but the drum becomes bulky and occupies excessive storage space in the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The cable drum is divided into two functional sections: a first winding area for winding the cable and a second winding area for storing the cable in a compact configuration. This segmentation allows the cable to be wound and stored efficiently without requiring a bulky drum structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable is wound in a multi-dimensional configuration within the drum, utilizing both radial and axial spaces. The first winding area winds the cable in one direction while the second winding area stores it in a compact form, reducing the overall volume occupied by the drum.
2Power
If sliding contacts are used to transmit electrical power from the rotating cable to the stationary drum, then power transmission is enabled, but thermal overload and energy loss occur
Solution Approach 1:
The sliding contacts are extracted from the cable drum design. Instead, the cable exits the drum through a central opening without requiring sliding contacts, eliminating the source of thermal overload and energy loss while maintaining power transmission capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable itself acts as an intermediary, carrying both mechanical winding function and electrical power transmission function. By allowing the cable to exit through the central opening, the system eliminates the need for separate sliding contacts and reduces energy loss.
3Device complexity
If the cable exits from the central area of the drum, then power transmission is simplified, but the cable cannot be used to support the heavy drum and the inner and outer parts of the cable winding must overlap
Solution Approach 1:
The drum is segmented into a first winding area and a second winding area with distinct functions. The first winding area handles cable winding while the second winding area provides structural support and cable storage, eliminating the need for cable overlap and reducing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the drum are assigned different qualities and functions: the first winding area is optimized for cable winding while the second winding area is optimized for structural support and compact cable storage. This local differentiation allows the cable to exit from the central area without compromising support capability.
4Ease of manufacture
If the cable is wound loosely in a wide area, then cable storage is simplified, but the drum dimensions become very large and occupy excessive storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The drum is divided into a first winding area for cable winding and a second winding area for compact cable storage. This segmentation allows the cable to be wound in a controlled manner while maintaining a compact overall drum volume, reducing storage space requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable winding utilizes multi-dimensional space within the drum, winding the cable in the first winding area and then compactly storing it in the second winding area. This dimensional utilization allows efficient cable storage without requiring a large drum volume.
Data Source
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AI summary
A winding unit (100) for a cable for charging an electric vehicle is presented. The winding unit (100) has a rotationally symmetric winding unit (102), a rotationally symmetric internal body (104) and a rotationally symmetric round outlet plate (106). The winding unit (100) has a first winding region (108) onto which a cable is able to be wound, and a second winding region (112) in a radial peripheral region of the winding unit (102). The second winding region (112) is arranged so as to adjoin the first winding region (108) such that a cable is able to be wound in the second winding region (112), from a region close to the first winding region (108), alongside one another, in the direction of the round outlet plate (106), in the opposite direction to a winding direction in the first winding region (108). In the process, the second winding region (112) extends over a radial part of the internal body (104). Furthermore, the round outlet plate (106) is rotatable a predetermined number of revolutions together with the winding unit (102) and is then immobilized such that a cable is pushed out of the outlet opening (114).