Modular Touch-Proof Screw for Adaptable HV Plug Connections
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch-proof screws for high-voltage plug connections are designed for specific applications and cannot be easily adapted to different geometric frameworks, requiring multiple tools and limiting their versatility across various vehicle and battery configurations.
Innovation Solution
A screw design featuring a modular structure with a screw body and a touch protection element that includes a connecting element and a connection device, allowing for flexible adaptation to different geometries and enabling reuse across different applications, while maintaining electrical insulation and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a screw is designed with a specific geometry for a particular plug connection, then the connection stability and robustness are improved, but the adaptability to different vehicle and battery configurations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The screw is divided into functionally independent segments: a standardized screw body (with uniform head, shank, and thread geometry) and a separate touch protection element. This segmentation allows the screw body to remain consistent across applications while only the touch protection element needs adaptation for different connector geometries, resolving the contradiction between connection stability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized screw body is designed with universal features that allow it to be used across multiple plug connection types and applications. The touch protection element serves as an adaptable component that can be modified for different geometries while the core screw functionality remains universal, enabling one screw design to serve multiple purposes across different vehicle and battery configurations.
2Reliability
If different screws are manufactured for each specific application, then the precision fit and connection reliability are improved, but the device complexity and tool requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the screw into a standardized body and an adaptable touch protection element, the invention eliminates the need for completely different screw designs for each application. This reduces device complexity and allows the use of the same screwdriver and assembly tools across all applications, while maintaining connection reliability through the standardized screw body.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized screw body serves as a universal component that can be used across all plug connection types, reducing the variety of tools needed. Only the touch protection element varies by application, which can be adapted without requiring different driving tools or assembly equipment, thereby reducing overall device complexity.
3Reliability
If touch protection elements are added to screws, then the safety and touch-proof nature are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The touch protection function is segmented into a separate, standalone element that attaches to the screw body. This segmentation allows the core screw structure to remain simple and standardized, while the touch protection element serves as an add-on component that provides safety functionality without complicating the fundamental screw design.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch protection element acts as an intermediary component between the screw body and the external environment. It provides the necessary safety function by preventing finger contact with current-carrying parts, while being easily attachable and removable without modifying the screw body structure, thus adding minimal complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A screw for a touch-proof plug connection includes a screw body and a touch protection device. The screw body has a screw head and a screw shank extending from the screw head along a screw-in direction to a screw tip. The screw tip has a connecting element. The touch protection element has a connection device on a coupling side. The connection device is a connection counterpart to the connecting element and connects the touch protection element to the screw body. The touch protection element has an electrically insulating surface on a front side that points in the screw-in direction in a connected state of the screw body and the touch protection element.