Vehicle Grounding Conductor Using Parallel Insulated Strands for EMC
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical conductors in vehicles, such as one-piece wires and metal braided straps, fail to meet electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements due to the skin effect at high frequencies and suffer from mechanical and environmental durability issues.
Innovation Solution
An electrical grounding conductor comprising a plurality of individually insulated multi-strand wires connected in parallel between two terminals, which mitigates the skin effect by distributing AC current among the strands, ensuring low impedance and mechanical flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If one-piece wires are used to achieve low impedance, then electrical conductivity is improved, but mechanical flexibility and installation ease deteriorate due to large diameter requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The conductor is divided into multiple individual wires (at least two) instead of using a single one-piece conductor. Each wire can be of smaller diameter, maintaining flexibility while collectively providing low impedance through parallel configuration. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing each segment to remain flexible while the combination achieves the required electrical performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite structure combining multiple insulated wires with different materials or properties. Each wire can have optimized characteristics for its specific function, and the combination provides both the flexibility of thin wires and the low impedance of a large effective cross-section, resolving the contradiction between conductivity and flexibility.
2Reliability
If metal braided straps are used to achieve low impedance at high frequencies, then electromagnetic compatibility is improved, but mechanical durability and reliability deteriorate due to breakages and connection loss
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a continuous braided structure that is prone to breakage, the invention uses multiple discrete insulated wires. If one wire fails, others continue to function, providing redundancy and improved long-term reliability. The segmentation isolates failure points while maintaining overall system performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the structural parameters from a braided configuration to parallel insulated wires. This parameter change maintains the low impedance characteristic needed for EMC while improving mechanical durability through the insulated protection and distributed structure that resists breakage and connection loss.
3Reliability
If braided straps are used to mitigate skin effect, then high frequency performance is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase due to precise weaving patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The complex braided structure is segmented into multiple simple insulated wires connected in parallel. This segmentation simplifies manufacturing significantly, as each wire can be produced using standard insulation processes rather than requiring precise braiding operations, while still achieving the required high frequency performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the structural parameters from a braided configuration to parallel insulated wires. This parameter change maintains the low impedance characteristic needed for high frequency performance while dramatically simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing device complexity.
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 conductor achieves low impedance at high frequencies, enhances EMC performance, and provides improved mechanical durability and flexibility, surpassing the limitations of traditional conductors.
Implementation Method 1
Ordinary one-piece wires are conductors that fail to successfully address the EMC requirements due to their susceptibility to the skin effect, which is the tendency of an alternating electric current (AC) to concentrate near the surface of the conductor. The skin effect intensifies with increasing AC frequency, leading to a smaller effective conductive area.
Data Source
AI summary
The current disclosure relates to an electrical grounding conductor for a vehicle, the electrical grounding conductor comprising a first terminal and a second terminal, the first and second terminals being electrically conductive; and a plurality of individually insulated multi-strand wires electrically connected in parallel between the first terminal and the second terminal; wherein a number and diameter of the individually insulated wires are configured to provide a low impedance at high frequencies between the first terminal and the second terminal. The disclosure further relates to a grounding system for a vehicle and a method for grounding a grounding system.