EV Charging Connector Insulation and Temperature Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electric vehicle charging connectors have inadequate dielectric design and temperature monitoring, leading to safety concerns and inefficiencies, with insufficient creepage distance and reliance on inaccurate temperature measurement methods.
Innovation Solution
The design eliminates screws near live parts, using a connector housing with a mating interface structure and contact pin inserts secured by abutment or tongue-and-groove joints, providing a large creepage distance and improved temperature monitoring through thermocouple pockets, ensuring secure positioning and assembly without metal fasteners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If screws are used to secure contact pins in the connector, then assembly is simplified, but dielectric strength is reduced due to small creepage distance and risk of flashovers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes screws and metal fasteners from the connector design, extracting the harmful metallic elements that compromise dielectric strength. Contact pins are secured through interference fits, press fits, or integration with insulating parts rather than metallic fasteners, thereby eliminating flashover risks while maintaining assembly feasibility through alternative securing mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces insulating parts as intermediary elements between contact pins and the connector housing. These insulating parts serve as mediators that provide both mechanical support and electrical insulation, allowing contact pins to be secured without direct metal-to-metal contact that would reduce creepage distance and compromise dielectric strength.
2Device complexity
If a single insulation concept with small creepage distance is used, then device complexity is reduced, but safety is compromised due to risk of flashovers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite construction combining insulating materials with structural components. The connector housing integrates insulating parts made from materials with high dielectric strength and appropriate creepage characteristics, creating a composite structure that simultaneously provides mechanical support and electrical insulation, thereby achieving both safety and reasonable complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent increases creepage distance by utilizing three-dimensional spatial arrangement rather than relying solely on two-dimensional surface tracking. Insulating parts are positioned and dimensioned to create adequate clearance and creepage paths in multiple directions, effectively increasing dielectric strength without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
3Extent of automation
If thermocouples are placed on cables or non-exchangeable parts, then temperature monitoring is implemented, but measurement precision is insufficient for accurate contact material temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the temperature sensing function from remote locations (cables or non-exchangeable parts) and places thermocouples directly on exchangeable contact pins. This extraction of the sensing element to its optimal position enables direct measurement of contact material temperature, significantly improving measurement precision while maintaining automated monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables exchangeable contact pins to self-monitor their own temperature through integrated thermocouples. Each contact pin becomes self-aware of its thermal state, providing accurate real-time temperature data without requiring external sensing infrastructure, thereby improving both measurement precision and system automation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances dielectric strength, safety, and assembly ease while achieving a significantly larger creepage distance and accurate temperature monitoring, reducing the risk of flashovers and improving connector reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a first thermocouple for measurement of a temperature of the positive contact pin and a second thermocouple for measurement of a temperature of the negative contact pin
Implementation Method 2
thermocouple for measurement of a temperature
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to an electrical plug connector (1) for charging of electric vehicles, comprising a connector housing (2), a mating interface structure (3) supported and positioned within the connector housing (2), a positive contact pin (4) for connection with a positive conductor of a charging cable and a negative contact pin (5) for connection with a negative conductor of the charging cable, and a contact pin insert (6) supporting the positive contact pin (4) and/or the negative contact pin (5), wherein the positive contact pin (4) and/or the negative contact pin (5) are/is received and secured in position by the contact pin insert (6), and wherein the contact pin insert (6) is received within the mating interface structure (3).The invention further relates to a respective method.