High-Voltage Plug Locking Structure for Tilt and Wear Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
High-voltage plug assemblies in electric vehicles face issues with tilting and abrasive wear due to the weight and leverage effect of rigid high-voltage lines, and are sensitive to vibration loads, leading to relative movements and increased wear on electrical plug contact elements.
Innovation Solution
A high-voltage plug assembly with a position-securing element that includes pairs of pins oriented perpendicularly to the connecting direction, locking the plugs together by engaging in recesses of the plug housings, providing mechanical stabilization without additional components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If high-voltage lines with large cross section are used to carry high voltage, then the current carrying capacity is improved, but the weight and rigidity of the lines increase, causing tilting forces on the plug housings
Solution Approach 1:
The position-securing element is actuated before the plugs are fully connected to pre-establish the locked position. The rotary lever mechanism advances the position-securing element into the locking position in advance, counteracting the weight-induced tilting forces before they can cause misalignment or wear during the connection process.
Solution Approach 2:
The position-securing element transitions from a static to a dynamic state through the rotary lever actuation. The mechanism uses controlled movement of the position-securing element relative to the plug housing to actively counterbalance the gravitational and leverage forces acting on the heavy high-voltage lines during connection and disconnection.
2Ease of operation
If the plug assembly is designed as an angled plug, then the routing of connection lines is improved, but the leverage effect of the lines creates larger tilting forces on the plug housings
Solution Approach 1:
The position-securing element is positioned in advance to engage with the plug housing before the full weight and leverage forces of the angled connection lines are applied. This preliminary engagement creates a stable mechanical reference that prevents tilting during the connection process.
Solution Approach 2:
The position-securing element acts as an intermediary mechanical component between the plug housing and the external forces generated by the angled high-voltage lines. It transfers and distributes these forces through the locking mechanism, preventing direct transmission of tilting forces to the contact elements.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rotary lever mechanism with slider is used for form-fit locking, then the mechanical stability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and isolates only the essential locking function from the complex rotary lever and slider mechanism. The position-securing element performs the form-fit locking through a simplified engagement with the plug housing, eliminating the need for the intermediate slider component while maintaining mechanical stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The position-securing element is designed to self-lock into the plug housing through its geometric engagement features. The form-fit locking is achieved through the inherent geometry of the position-securing element and housing interface, eliminating the need for additional actuating mechanisms like sliders or complex spring systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A high-voltage plug assembly includes a stationary first plug and a second plug that is movable along a connecting direction of the plugs. The plugs have mutually complementary plug contact elements. The second plug further has connection lines connected to its plug contact elements. An outlet direction of the connection lines extends perpendicular to the connecting direction. The second plug further has a position-securing element (PSE) that is displaceable along a displacement direction perpendicular to the connecting direction and that mechanically locks the plugs together when the plugs are connected while the PSE is displaced to a slide position. The PSE includes pairs of pins whose longitudinal axes are oriented in the PSE displacement direction and which are situated in pairs one behind the other in the PSE displacement direction. In the slide position in which the plugs are locked together, the pins respectively engage recesses of the plugs.