Vehicle Winch Contactor Terminal Orientation for Short-Circuit Prevention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle winch systems face challenges in efficiently managing the wiring of multiple conductors to a contactor, leading to potential short-circuits and difficulties in maintenance, particularly due to the concentrated terminal arrangement and complex wiring configurations.
Innovation Solution
The winch is mounted between the front wheels of a vehicle with a contactor positioned rearward, featuring terminals and conductors arranged on different sides of the contactor's outer face to optimize wiring and prevent short-circuits, with conductors extending in distinct directions and a cover defining these directions to ensure proper routing and easy maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple terminals are disposed on a small area face of the contactor, then the terminal density is improved, but the wiring complexity increases and short-circuit risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by disposing terminals on multiple side faces of the contactor rather than concentrating them on a single small face. Specifically, the positive terminal is disposed on one side face and the negative terminal on another side face, spreading the terminals across different spatial dimensions. This reduces wiring complexity by allowing conductors to extend in different directions from the contactor, preventing entanglement and short-circuits while maintaining compact overall size.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple conductors are connected in a concentrated manner to the contactor, then the connection density is improved, but the risk of short-circuit between conductors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by separating the positive and negative terminal connections into different spatial locations. The positive terminal and its connected conductor are disposed on one side face, while the negative terminal and its connected conductor are disposed on another side face. This segmentation physically isolates the conductors, reducing the risk of short-circuits while maintaining all necessary connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses dimensionality change to extend conductors in different directions from the contactor based on the terminal disposition. Conductors connected to terminals on different side faces extend in different spatial directions, preventing contact between conductors and eliminating short-circuit risks while maintaining compact connection density.
3Reliability
If the contactor is disposed between the winch and battery with terminals on different side faces, then the wiring scheme is optimized and short-circuit prevention is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contactor is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as an electrical connection device and as a spatial organizer for conductors. By disposing terminals on different side faces, the contactor simultaneously achieves electrical connection and physical separation of conductors, preventing short-circuits without requiring additional separation components. This multi-functional design reduces overall system complexity despite the sophisticated terminal arrangement.
Data Source
AI summary
In a vehicle having a vehicle body frame from which left and right front wheels are suspended, a winch is mounted so as to be disposed between the front wheels and configured to appropriately wire a plurality of conductors to a contactor interposed between the winch and a battery. Winch positive and negative side terminals, a battery positive side terminal and a grounding negative side terminal are disposed in a concentrated manner on a terminal disposition face of the contactor. Winch positive and negative side conductors extend from the contactor to the winch side. A battery positive side conductor and a grounding conductor extend from the contactor in directions different from the extending direction of the winch positive and negative side conductors from the contactor and different from each other.