Liquid-Cooled Charging Connectors With Independent Coolant Branches
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid-cooled high-power charging equipment with multiple charging connector assemblies suffers from poor availability and reliability due to the design where all charging connector assemblies are connected to a common coolant supply pipe, leading to system shutdown if one assembly is abnormal.
Innovation Solution
The liquid-cooled charging equipment incorporates a recirculating cooling apparatus, multiple charging connector assemblies, and a control unit with pressure, flow, and temperature sensors to monitor coolant conditions and charging connector temperatures, allowing for early warning, protection, and maintenance actions, while enabling normal operation of other charging connector assemblies even if one is disabled.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If all charging connector assemblies are connected to a common coolant supply pipe, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability deteriorates because one abnormal assembly shuts down the entire system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the common coolant supply pipe into multiple independent coolant supply pipes, with each pipe dedicated to a specific charging connector assembly. This segmentation allows independent operation of each assembly, so that abnormality in one assembly does not affect others, thereby improving system reliability while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
2Reliability
If a valve is installed in each coolant supply pipe to enable independent control, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent installs sensors (temperature sensors, flow sensors, pressure sensors) in each coolant supply pipe to monitor the operating state of corresponding charging connector assemblies. The control unit receives feedback from these sensors and automatically controls the valves to open or close based on the monitored parameters, enabling intelligent independent control without requiring complex manual intervention systems.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If sensors are installed in each coolant supply pipe for monitoring, then the ability to detect abnormalities is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent proactively installs temperature sensors, flow sensors, and pressure sensors in each coolant supply pipe before abnormal conditions occur. These sensors continuously monitor the operating parameters of each charging connector assembly, enabling early detection of potential issues such as coolant leakage or overheating, allowing the system to take preventive actions before failures occur.
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
This solution enhances the service life of charging connector assemblies and electric vehicles, ensures user safety, and increases the availability and reliability of the charging equipment by allowing normal operation of unaffected charging connector assemblies during abnormal conditions.
Implementation Method 1
fast EV charging equipment is usually equipped with a cooling device (for example, in a liquid-cooling manner) to dissipate the heat of the charging connector of the charging connector assembly through the cooling pipeline design
Implementation Method 2
determine whether the pipe has abnormal coolant leakage or whether the charging connector has abnormal overheating by using the pressure sensor, the flow sensor, and the temperature sensor
Implementation Method 3
determine whether the pipe has abnormal coolant leakage or whether the charging connector has abnormal overheating by using the pressure sensor, the flow sensor, and the temperature sensor
Implementation Method 4
determine whether the pipe has abnormal coolant leakage or whether the charging connector has abnormal overheating by using the pressure sensor, the flow sensor, and the temperature sensor
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid-cooled charging equipment with multiple charging connector assemblies includes a recirculating cooling apparatus, a plurality of charging connector assemblies, a plurality of coolant supply pipes, a plurality of coolant return pipes, a plurality of valves, and a control unit. The recirculating cooling apparatus has an outlet side and an inlet side. Each charging connector assembly includes a charging connector and a charging cable having an inlet end and an outlet end. Each valve is correspondingly disposed in each coolant supply pipe. The control unit is coupled to the valves and the charging connector assemblies. When the charging connector assemblies are in operation of charging, the control unit opens the valves corresponding to the charging connector assemblies to allow the low-temperature coolant provided by the recirculating cooling apparatus to flow through the coolant supply pipes to cool the charging connectors.