EV Charging Connector Cassette Terminal Replacement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing charging connectors for electric vehicles require frequent terminal replacements due to wear and tear, leading to complex and inefficient assembly processes, with the need to remove and reattach terminals to the wire, which complicates maintenance and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
A charging connector design featuring an intermediate terminal housed within a cassette assembly that can be easily replaced without detaching the terminal from the wire, combined with an outer housing for protection and a differential connection/disconnection length for source and signal terminals to prevent arcing, enhancing assembly workability and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the terminal is directly connected to the wire without a cassette housing, then the electrical connection is simple, but the terminal replacement requires removing and reattaching the terminal to the wire which deteriorates assembling workability
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal assembly is segmented into three distinct components: the intermediate terminal, the cassette housing that receives it, and the inner housing. This segmentation allows the intermediate terminal to be replaced independently by simply detaching the cassette housing from the inner housing, eliminating the need to remove and reattach the terminal to the wire, thereby dramatically improving assembling workability while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The cassette housing serves as an intermediary component between the intermediate terminal and the inner housing. It provides a removable interface that allows the terminal to be easily exchanged without direct manipulation of the wire connections, thus improving assembling workability while adding only a single intermediate structural element rather than complex assembly mechanisms
2Reliability
If the terminal is replaced frequently due to wear after about ten thousand connections/disconnections, then the durability is limited, but the replacement process is complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the terminal assembly into a replaceable intermediate terminal and a reusable cassette housing, the design enables rapid replacement of only the worn terminal component. The cassette housing remains in place and can be quickly detached from the inner housing, allowing the intermediate terminal to be swapped in a matter of seconds rather than requiring time-consuming wire disconnection and reattachment procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate terminal is designed as a consumable component with a defined service life of approximately ten thousand connections/disconnections. After reaching this lifespan, the entire intermediate terminal is discarded and replaced with a new one, while the expensive cassette housing and inner housing are retained and reused. This approach reduces replacement time and cost compared to replacing entire terminal assemblies or performing complex wire retermination procedures
Data Source
AI summary
A charging connector includes: a source-side terminal connected to a source side; an inner housing for receiving the source-side terminal; an intermediate terminal having a power source connection electrically connectable to and electrically disconnectable from the source-side terminal and an inlet connection electrically connectable to and electrically disconnectable from an inlet-side terminal connected to a side of a vehicle inlet; and a cassette housing that receives the intermediate terminal, is assembled to the inner housing, and is mateable with the vehicle inlet.