EV Charger Cable Winch and Guide for Accessible High-Power Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-voltage electric vehicle charging stations face challenges with cable management, including accessibility issues for users with disabilities and safety hazards due to cables being left on the ground, which can lead to tripping, damage, and environmental risks.
Innovation Solution
A cable management system featuring a winch-based or carriage-based mechanism that includes a drum with slots, a mechanical wire, and a guide to retract and extend charging cables, keeping them off the ground, and incorporating sensors and motors for controlled operation, along with debris removal features to prevent damage and freezing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If high-voltage charging cables are used to deliver high power (350 kW at 400 VDC), then charging speed and power delivery are improved, but cable size increases making them difficult to use and inaccessible to users with disabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cable management function from manual operation by introducing an automated winch system. The winch mechanically retrieves and stores the charging cable, removing the burden of handling heavy, high-voltage cables from users. This allows high-power cables to be used without compromising accessibility for users with disabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable management system operates autonomously through a winch mechanism that automatically extends and retracts the charging cable based on detected charging states. The system serves itself by managing cable deployment without human intervention, eliminating the need for users to manually handle difficult-to-use high-voltage cables.
2Ease of operation
If charging cables are left extended on the ground for user convenience, then accessibility is improved, but safety hazards increase including tripping risks, cable damage, and environmental exposure to snow and freezing
Solution Approach 1:
The winch system performs preliminary action by automatically retrieving and storing the charging cable immediately after charging completion. This preemptive cable management prevents the cable from remaining exposed to ground-level hazards such as tripping risks, vehicle damage, snow coverage, and freezing conditions, while still providing full accessibility during the charging process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potential harm of cable exposure into benefit by using the winch mechanism to actively manage cable positioning. The same mechanical system that enables cable deployment for accessibility also retrieves it to prevent damage, transforming what could be a hazardous situation into a controlled, safe operation.
3Reliability
If cable management systems are added to protect cables and improve safety, then reliability and safety are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The winch-based cable management system serves multiple functions: it extends the charging cable for accessibility, retrieves it for safety and protection, and stores it in an organized manner. By consolidating these functions into a single mechanical system, the patent improves cable safety and reliability without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
There may be provided a cable management system for an electric vehicle charger. The system may include a drum including one or more slots. The system may include a mechanical wire. The system may include one or more tracks fixed in spaced relation to the drum. The system may include a guide slidably coupled to the one or more tracks and including guide features for guiding the mechanical wire on the slots. The guide may include a protrusion extending into one or more of the one or more slots to allow the guide to slide laterally along the one or more tracks in response to rotation of the drum about the rotational axis. The cable management system may include a drive system for selectively rotating the drum in a first direction to retrieve the mechanical wire and a second direction to extend the mechanical wire.