Telescopic Charging Cable Sheath for Clean EV Cable Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Charging cables for electric vehicles are exposed to environmental elements like snow and rain, leading to dirtiness and lack of protection against damage when stored in vehicles, with existing solutions not adequately addressing these issues.
Innovation Solution
A protective device with a deformable support frame and jacket, featuring an extendable telescopic guide rod and fastening mechanism, encases the charging cable to protect it from environmental influences and damage, allowing for easy deployment and stowage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the charging cable is stored inside the vehicle when dirty, then the vehicle interior is protected from contamination, but the charging cable remains exposed to damage and cannot be properly cleaned
Solution Approach 1:
The protective device separates the charging cable protection function from the vehicle interior, creating a dedicated protective sheath that can be applied to the cable externally. This segmentation allows the cable to be protected outside the vehicle while keeping the vehicle interior clean.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective sheath acts as an intermediary between the charging cable and the external environment. It provides a barrier that protects the cable from damage and contamination during charging operations, while allowing the cable to be stored externally rather than inside the vehicle.
2Device complexity
If a fixed-length protective cover is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate charging cables of varying lengths
Solution Approach 1:
The protective device uses a telescopic guide rod mechanism that allows the sheath to dynamically adjust its length. The guide rod can extend and retract, enabling the protective device to accommodate charging cables of different lengths while maintaining a compact form when not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescopic guide rod employs a nested structure where segments of the rod are housed within each other. When retracted, the guide rod occupies minimal space; when extended, it provides the necessary length to match the charging cable, achieving versatility without excessive complexity.
3Device complexity
If the protective device is manually deployed and stowed, then the mechanism is simple, but it requires user intervention and time for deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The protective device incorporates an electric drive mechanism that automatically extends the guide rod and deploys the sheath when activated. This self-service capability reduces the need for manual manipulation and accelerates the deployment process, while the compact retracted state facilitates easy storage.
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
The protective device effectively shields the charging cable from contamination and damage during charging, keeping the cable clean and secure, while its adaptable design ensures compatibility with varying cable lengths and easy handling.
Implementation Method 1
The protective device has an electric and/or hydraulic drive and an extendable, telescopic guide rod, wherein the drive is arranged at a first end of the support frame, wherein a first end of the guide rod is arranged on the drive, wherein a second end of the guide rod is arranged at a second end of the support frame, wherein the guide rod and thus the protective device is lengthened or shortened and thus changed as required with the electric and/or hydraulic drive.
Implementation Method 2
The protective device has an electric and/or hydraulic drive and an extendable, telescopic guide rod
Implementation Method 3
The protective device has an electric and/or hydraulic drive and an extendable, telescopic guide rod
Implementation Method 4
The protective device has a support frame and a sheath which are designed to sheath, for example to enclose, a hollow space for the charging cable in a longitudinal direction in a tubular manner
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a protective device for an electric charging cable (8) for connecting two devices during a charging process, wherein the protective device (14) has a support frame (16) and a sheath (18) which are designed to enclose a cavity extending in a longitudinal direction through which a charging cable (8) can be guided, wherein the support frame (16) and the sheath (18) are deformable in the longitudinal direction, wherein a length of the protective device (14) can be changed and adapted to a length of the charging cable (8) to be guided through the cavity between the two devices.