High-Current Connector Insulating Bush for Compact Electrical Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-current connectors face challenges in maintaining necessary clearance and creepage distances to prevent voltage breakdowns and leakage currents, which requires a large installation space, contradicting the desire for a compact design.
Innovation Solution
A high-current connector design featuring an insulating sleeve with a funnel-shaped fastening section and circumferential gradations to increase creepage distances, combined with a two-part metallic contact element for a right-angled connection, allowing for compact dimensions while ensuring sufficient electrical isolation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If large clearance and creepage distances are maintained to prevent voltage breakdowns and leakage currents, then electrical safety is improved, but installation space increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating sleeve utilizes the radial dimension by extending protruding sections into the hollow-cylindrical space, effectively increasing creepage and clearance distances in the radial direction rather than requiring additional axial length. This dimensional approach allows maintaining electrical safety requirements while keeping the connector compact in the insertion direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating sleeve is nested within the connector housing, with its hollow-cylindrical section fitting inside the housing cavity. The protruding sections of the insulating sleeve extend into this nested space to provide the required insulation distances, effectively using the available internal volume without increasing the overall connector envelope dimensions.
2Volume of stationary object
If compact dimensions are achieved to save installation space, then volume is reduced, but maintaining necessary clearances and creepage distances becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating sleeve features localized protruding sections at specific positions where creepage and clearance distances are most critical. These protruding sections locally extend the insulation barrier only where needed, rather than uniformly increasing dimensions throughout, thereby maintaining electrical isolation effectiveness while preserving overall compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating sleeve is designed with segmented protruding sections rather than a solid uniform structure. These discrete protruding elements are strategically positioned to provide necessary insulation distances at critical points, allowing the connector to maintain compact overall dimensions while ensuring electrical safety where most required.
Data Source
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AI summary
According to the invention, the connection side (A) of a high-current connector (1) is provided with an insulating bush (4) which is used to maintain the required air gaps and leakage distances between current-conducting and earth-connected parts while allowing a compact installation space.