Charging Inlet Actuator Debris Removal for Anti-Sticking Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Inlet actuators in electric mobility systems can become inoperable due to debris sticking, preventing the locking or releasing of charging plugs, which disrupts battery charging and may cause damage.
Innovation Solution
An anti-sticking system with a debris removal unit that uses compressed air to clear debris from a rotatable lever arm, a controller to detect operational deviations, and a detection unit to monitor the locking pin's state, ensuring normal operation and preventing sticking issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the inlet actuator uses a lever arm mechanism for locking and releasing the charging plug, then the operation reliability is improved, but the lever arm can become stuck by debris causing inoperable situations
Solution Approach 1:
A blowing unit is introduced as an intermediary component that uses compressed air to blow debris away from the lever arm. This mediator prevents direct contact between debris and the lever arm, eliminating the sticking problem while preserving the mechanical locking mechanism's reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The blowing unit performs preliminary action by proactively removing debris from the lever arm before it can cause sticking. The system detects potential sticking conditions and activates the blowing unit in advance to prevent the harmful effect from occurring
2Ease of operation
If the inlet actuator components are exposed to the external environment, then the ease of operation is improved, but the ingress of debris increases causing sticking
Solution Approach 1:
The blowing unit acts as a protective intermediary that allows the lever arm to remain exposed for manual operation while preventing debris from causing sticking. Compressed air serves as the intermediary medium that clears debris without requiring enclosure of the lever arm
3Reliability
If the inlet actuator includes a debris removal unit, then the reliability is improved by preventing sticking, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses pneumatic principles with a blowing unit that utilizes compressed air to remove debris. This approach provides an effective debris removal mechanism with relatively simple structure, improving reliability without excessive complexity increase
Solution Approach 2:
The controller monitors the operational state of the inlet actuator and provides feedback control for the blowing unit. When abnormal operation is detected, the controller activates the debris removal unit, creating a closed-loop system that manages complexity through intelligent control rather than purely mechanical redundancy
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
Prevents inoperable situations by effectively removing debris, ensuring smooth charging plug operations and reducing the risk of damage, with improved maintenance convenience and reduced system size.
Implementation Method 1
The debris removal unit may be configured to jet compressed air to the lever arm.
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment system includes an actuator mounted in a housing and configured to be operated in response to a connection state of a charging cable, a lever arm rotatably provided outside the housing and configured to be rotated in conjunction with operation of the actuator, a debris removal unit configured to remove debris on the lever arm, and a controller configured to control the operation of the actuator in response to the connection state of the charging cable being a connected state or a released state and to control the debris removal unit to remove the debris on the lever arm in response to an operational state according to the operation of the actuator deviating from a normal range.