Sensor-Integrated Plug Connector for Real-Time Fault Localization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connection systems face challenges in ensuring reliable and efficient operation, particularly in identifying and locating damage to cables and connectors, which can lead to system failures and downtime, and require advance configuration based on device power requirements.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connector system with integrated sensor, control, and communication interfaces that continuously measure and monitor voltage and current, allowing for real-time data collection and analysis, localization, and condition monitoring to detect faults and optimize power supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a modular design with separate contact elements and housing components is used, then assembly flexibility and manufacturing efficiency are improved, but the number of separate parts increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical plug connector is divided into modular components: a housing (10) with integrated insulation, separate contact elements (20, 30) that can be independently manufactured and assembled, and a common insulating body. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized and manufactured separately using appropriate processes, then assembled into the final product, improving manufacturing efficiency while maintaining manageable complexity through functional grouping.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into integrated components: the housing (10) integrates structural support, insulation, and contact element retention; the common insulating body houses multiple contact elements and provides electrical isolation. This merging reduces the number of separate parts needed compared to fully discrete designs while preserving manufacturing flexibility through modular assembly of these integrated units.
2Reliability
If contact elements are designed with flexible portions for engagement, then connection reliability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The contact elements utilize elastic deformation as a design parameter, where flexible portions are engineered to bend and return to their original shape. This elastic behavior provides self-adjusting engagement that compensates for minor dimensional variations, achieving reliable connections without requiring extremely tight manufacturing tolerances. The material selection and cross-sectional geometry are optimized to provide appropriate flexibility and recovery force.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible portions of the contact elements perform self-alignment and self-adjustment during assembly through elastic deformation. As contacts are inserted, the flexible portions automatically bend to accommodate slight misalignments and then return to their predetermined positions, creating reliable electrical connections without requiring precision alignment fixtures or complex adjustment mechanisms.
3Reliability
If separate common insulating bodies are used for different contact element groups, then electrical isolation is improved, but device complexity and assembly steps increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple insulating functions into a single integrated common insulating body that houses both the first contact elements and second contact elements. This unified insulating structure provides electrical isolation between different contact groups while reducing the total number of insulating components compared to using separate insulating bodies for each contact group, thereby simplifying assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Within the common insulating body, distinct compartments or regions are created to separate different contact element groups, maintaining electrical isolation through physical segmentation. The insulating material itself is segmented into regions that provide isolation, allowing multiple contact elements to coexist in one housing without electrical interference while keeping the overall structure unified.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an electrical plug connector (10), comprising a housing (12); at least one input-end contact (14, 16, 18); at least one output-end contact (20, 22, 24); and an electrical circuit (30) which is arranged within the housing (12); wherein the electrical circuit (30) has a sensor device (32), a control device (34) and a communication interface (38); wherein the sensor device (32) is designed to detect an electrical operating parameter; and the control device (34) is designed to generate output data on the basis of the electrical operating parameter and to output said output data by means of a communication interface (38). The invention further relates to a method for operating a system comprising an electrical plug connector (10), wherein the plug connector (10) comprises a sensor device (32) for detecting an electrical operating parameter.