Modular Charging Plug with Exchangeable Contact Pins
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Solution Overview
Problem
Charging plugs for electric vehicles face high wear and tear, leading to unreliable contacts and costly, complex replacements, especially due to mechanical abrasion and corrosion, which complicates the exchange of individual components and affects safety-critical insulation functions.
Innovation Solution
A modular charging plug design where high-wear and safety-critical components, such as power and signal pins, are made exchangeable independently, with the insulation body and pins being secured to the plug body using screws, clamping springs, or rivets, and featuring separate groups for power and signal pins to prevent unauthorized access and facilitate maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the charging plug is designed as a single integrated unit, then the structure is simple and manufacturing is easier, but replacement of worn components requires complete plug replacement which is costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The charging plug is divided into a plug body and a separate plug face that can be exchanged independently. The plug face contains the contact pins and is designed as a replaceable module, allowing only the worn contact elements to be replaced while retaining the main plug body and cable assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact pins are extracted as a separate replaceable component (plug face) from the main plug body. This allows the contact pins to be replaced independently without replacing the entire plug, addressing the wear issue while maintaining manufacturing efficiency for the main body.
2Reliability
If expensive corrosion-resistant materials like gold-nickel pins are used, then reliability and corrosion resistance are improved, but manufacturing costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The plug face with contact pins is designed as a cost-effective replaceable component that can be exchanged when worn, rather than using expensive corrosion-resistant materials for the entire plug. This allows standard materials to be used in the main body while maintaining reliability through periodic replacement of the contact elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug face is designed to be replaced when the contact pins show signs of wear. The replaced plug faces can be recovered and the contact pins reused in new plug faces, reducing material waste and manufacturing costs while maintaining reliable electrical contact throughout the system lifecycle.
3Strength
If the plug is made flexible to withstand mechanical drops, then mechanical durability is improved, but the safety-critical insulation function may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is segmented into a flexible cable assembly and a rigid plug body with integrated insulation. The plug body maintains rigid structural integrity for safety-critical insulation functions, while the cable assembly provides flexibility to absorb mechanical shocks from drops.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible cable portion is extracted as a separate element from the rigid plug body. This allows the cable to bear the mechanical stress of drops and handling, while the plug body with its rigid insulation structure maintains the required safety and insulation properties.
4Ease of repair
If individual pins are replaced selectively, then replacement cost and time are reduced, but line length variations and quality problems occur
Solution Approach 1:
The contact pins are merged with the plug face as a single replaceable module. This allows all contact pins to be replaced together as one unit, ensuring consistent line lengths and proper alignment, while still avoiding the need to replace the entire plug or cable assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
A charging plug for an electric automobile has a plug head and an insulation body. The plug head and the insulation body are connected in a releasable manner in such a way that the insulation body can be exchanged.