EV Connector Insulating Protective Element Design

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing plug connections for electric vehicles face challenges in providing a compact design while ensuring safe prevention of accidental finger contact with high-voltage contact elements, often resulting in increased space requirements or compromised electrical contact quality.

Innovation Solution

A pin-side plug with an electrically insulating protective element arranged at a distance from the contact pin, combined with an electrically insulating plug wall, forms a compact and safe connection by preventing unwanted contact and ensuring constant electrical contact through a U-shaped protective design and concentric or eccentric arrangement around the contact pin.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If protective elements are provided to protect against contact with contact elements, then safety is improved, but space requirement increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidspace requirement
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The protective element is arranged at a distance from the contact pin, creating a nested configuration where the protective element is positioned within the overall plug structure without touching the contact pin laterally. This nesting approach allows the protective element to be integrated into the compact plug design while still providing the required safety protection, thereby reducing the space requirement compared to external protective structures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The protective element is positioned in a specific spatial arrangement at a distance from the contact pin, utilizing three-dimensional space efficiently. By arranging the protective element in a different dimensional configuration rather than surrounding the contact pin completely, the design achieves safety protection while maintaining a compact overall volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Reliability

If protective covers surround the contact on all sides, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesafetyVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The protective function is segmented into a separate protective element that is arranged at a distance from the contact pin, rather than creating a complete surrounding cover. This segmentation allows the protective element to be a simple, separate component that provides safety without adding complex surrounding structures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The protective element is extracted as a separate functional component from the contact pin structure itself. By taking out the protective function into a separate element positioned at a distance, the design avoids the complexity of integrated surrounding covers while maintaining the safety function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3516741B1Connector with protection
Publication Date: 2021.06.02 STAUBLI ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS AG
  • EP3516741B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3516741B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3516741B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A pin-side plug (S) for electrical connection to a socket-side plug (B) has a pin-side plug housing (6) with a plug base (61) and a plug wall (62), an electrically conductive contact pin (3) with a free pin end (31) and a base-side pin end (32) for fastening the contact pin to the pin-side plug housing (6), and a protective element (5) which is designed to be electrically insulating. The protective element (5) is arranged on the pin-side plug housing (6) at a distance from the contact pin (3). The socket-side plug (B) has a socket-side plug housing (9) with a plug base (91) and with a plug wall (92), and a socket (100) which is arranged in the socket-side plug housing (9) and is designed for receiving the contact pin (3) in the connected state. The socket-side plug housing (9) has a receptacle (93) for receiving the protective element (5) in the connected state.