Fast Coupling Apparatus Electrostatic Charge Diversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fast coupling apparatuses for fuel lines in motor vehicles face challenges in efficiently diverting electrostatic charges due to insulation and production tolerances, leading to high electrical resistance and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A fast coupling apparatus with an electrically-conductive contact sleeve on the receiver piece, featuring a contact lip that protrudes and touches the plug piece, providing low electrical resistance and reliable connection, while allowing for easy assembly and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If insulation is included in the fast coupling apparatus to prevent electrical interference, then electrical isolation between components is improved, but electrical resistance increases and electrostatic charge diversion is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling apparatus is divided into distinct functional zones: an insulated portion for electrical isolation and a conductive contact region for charge diversion. The contact lip is segmented from the main body, allowing it to extend into the bore for direct contact with the plug piece while the rest of the housing maintains insulation.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the coupling apparatus have different electrical properties. The housing and sealing elements are insulating, while the contact lip and contact sleeve are conductive. This local differentiation allows simultaneous electrical isolation and low-resistance charge diversion paths.
2Ease of manufacture
If production tolerances are relaxed to reduce manufacturing costs, then ease of manufacture is improved, but mechanical contact between plug piece and housing cannot be ensured, increasing electrical resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The contact lip is designed as a flexible, resilient element that can deform elastically. This dynamic property allows the contact lip to maintain continuous contact with the plug piece despite dimensional variations, compensating for production tolerances while ensuring reliable electrical connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact lip's material properties are selected to provide optimal resilience and conductivity. By changing the physical parameters of the contact lip (material composition, cross-section, length), the design accommodates manufacturing variations while maintaining electrical contact reliability.
3Reliability
If conductive O-rings are used to transfer electricity between components, then electrical conductivity is improved, but material cost increases and material resistance remains high
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical conduction function is extracted from the sealing O-ring and assigned to a dedicated contact lip structure. This separates the sealing function (insulating O-ring) from the electrical conduction function (conductive contact lip), allowing each to be optimized independently and reducing material costs.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using expensive conductive O-rings, the patent uses a simpler conductive contact lip that replicates the electrical conduction function. The contact lip is a basic structural element with conductive material, avoiding the complexity and cost of making O-rings conductive.
4Ease of operation
If the plug piece is designed for easy insertion with low insertion force, then ease of operation is improved, but direct mechanical contact with the housing is not achieved, increasing electrical resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The contact lip acts as an intermediary element between the plug piece and the housing. It extends from the insulated housing into the bore, providing a conductive path that bridges the gap without requiring the plug piece to contact the main housing body, thus maintaining both low insertion force and electrical connectivity.
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
The solution effectively reduces electrostatic charge buildup, enhancing safety by ensuring a reliable electrical connection with low contact resistance, and enabling easy disconnection and reconnection for maintenance, while being cost-effective and durable.
Implementation Method 1
an electrically-conductive contact sleeve is arranged on an inner periphery of the receiver piece, the electrically-conductive contact sleeve is electrically-conductively connected with the receiver piece
Data Source
AI summary
A fast coupling apparatus on a media-carrying line is provided. The fast coupling apparatus includes a plug piece arranged on a first line end and a receiver piece arranged on a second line end coupled together with the plug piece, where an electrically-conductive contact sleeve is arranged on an inner periphery of the receiver piece, the electrically-conductive contact sleeve is electrically-conductively connected with the receiver piece and has a contact lip that protrudes from a surface of the contact sleeve and touches the plug piece in a connected position.