Vehicle Power Plug Venting Structure for Cooling and Contact Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle power socket plugs lack effective ventilation and cooling, leading to inefficiencies with high-power devices and requiring significant material and installation space.
Innovation Solution
The plug design incorporates complementary contact and ventilation regions with varying curvatures to create ventilation channels, using elastomer sleeves for secure contact and reducing material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the plug is designed with a cylindrical shape that closely fits the socket interior, then contact reliability is improved, but ventilation capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The plug body is segmented into different functional regions: a front contact region with cylindrical shape for reliable electrical contact, and a rear ventilation region with reduced diameter to create ventilation channels. This segmentation allows each region to optimize its function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the plug are given different geometric properties: the front contact region has a cylindrical shape matching the socket interior for maximum contact, while the rear portion has a reduced diameter to enable airflow. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between contact reliability and ventilation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the plug uses a reduced diameter design, then ventilation is improved, but contact reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is divided into distinct functional zones: a front contact region with full diameter for reliable electrical connection, and a rear ventilation region with reduced diameter for airflow. The segmentation ensures that ventilation improvements do not compromise contact reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug exhibits local quality variation along its length, with the contact region optimized for electrical connection and the ventilation region optimized for airflow. This localized optimization allows the plug to achieve both good contact and effective ventilation simultaneously.
3Ease of manufacture
If the plug uses traditional cylindrical design, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but cooling efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The plug body is segmented into two main sections: a front contact region and a rear ventilation region with reduced diameter. This segmentation creates natural ventilation channels while maintaining a relatively simple monolithic structure that can be manufactured using conventional processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug applies local quality by reducing the diameter only in the rear ventilation region while maintaining full diameter in the contact region. This localized geometric modification improves cooling efficiency without significantly complicating the overall manufacturing process.
4Reliability
If the plug uses extended contact regions, then electrical contact is improved, but material consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is segmented into a front contact region with full diameter for electrical contact and a rear ventilation region with reduced diameter. This segmentation ensures material is used efficiently: full diameter only where needed for contact, and reduced diameter where ventilation is required.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug employs local quality by varying the diameter along its length: full diameter in the contact region for reliable electrical connection, and reduced diameter in the ventilation region to minimize material consumption while enabling airflow channels.
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
Enhances cooling, reduces material and installation space, and supports higher power consumption devices effectively.
Implementation Method 1
The first contact element formed in the region of a central plug axis comprises a contact pin with an elastomer sleeve encompassing the contact pin
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
Figure 2a~2c
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a plug (10) for a vehicle-electrical-system-voltage receptacle, the plug (10) comprising: - a front plug portion (12), which is to be arranged at the front as the plug is inserted into the vehicle-electrical-system-voltage receptacle and which has a first contact element (20) for contacting the vehicle-electrical-system-voltage receptacle; - a rear plug portion (14); and - a middle plug portion (16), which is located between the front plug portion (12) and the rear plug portion (14); wherein: a second contact element (22) for contacting the vehicle-electrical-system-voltage receptacle is disposed in the middle plug portion (16); the middle plug portion (16) comprises at least one contact region (24) and at least one ventilation region (26); the first contact region (24) is complementary to an interior (6) of the socket (4) such that, when the plug (10) is disposed in the vehicle-electrical-system-voltage receptacle, a first distance (a1) is established between the socket (4) and the contact region (24); and a curvature of the ventilation region (26) deviates from a curvature of the interior (6) of the socket (4) such that, when the plug (10) is disposed in the vehicle-electrical-system-voltage receptacle, a second distance (a2) is established between the ventilation region (26) and the socket (4), the second distance (a2) being greater than the first distance (a1) so that at least one ventilation channel (28) is formed between the front plug portion and the rear plug portion.