Wire Harness Outer Cover With Spring Contact for Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-voltage wires in vehicles, such as hybrid and electric vehicles, face challenges with heat dissipation due to thermal resistance when inserted into metal pipes, as large currents generate significant heat that is not efficiently dissipated.
Innovation Solution
A wire harness configuration with an outer cover member featuring a spring that contacts the wire's outer circumferential surface, accompanied by an insulating sheath and a heat dissipater, to reduce thermal resistance and enhance heat dissipation, allowing the wire to expand and contract while maintaining insulation and improving heat release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the wire is inserted into a metal pipe for heat dissipation, then heat dissipation is expected to improve, but thermal resistance between the wire and metal pipe becomes a bottleneck
Solution Approach 1:
A spring member is introduced as an intermediary between the wire and the metal pipe. The spring member increases the contact area between the wire and the pipe through elastic deformation, thereby reducing thermal resistance and improving heat dissipation efficiency without compromising electrical insulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring member provides dynamic adaptability by elastically deforming to match the wire's expansion and contraction movements. This dynamic contact ensures consistent thermal coupling between the wire and metal pipe while accommodating thermal and mechanical variations during operation.
2Reliability
If insulation is added between the wire and spring to ensure insulating properties, then electrical insulation is improved, but heat dissipation may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating sheath is applied selectively to specific portions of the wire where electrical insulation is critical, while maintaining direct contact between the spring member and the metal pipe for heat dissipation. This localized insulation approach preserves thermal pathways while ensuring electrical safety.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the wire is allowed to expand and contract, then mechanical flexibility is improved, but thermal contact with the metal pipe may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The spring member's elastic properties enable it to dynamically adjust its deformation state in response to the wire's expansion and contraction. This dynamic adaptation maintains continuous thermal contact between the wire and metal pipe while accommodating mechanical movements, thus preserving both flexibility and thermal coupling.
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 solution effectively decreases thermal resistance, ensures insulating properties, and enhances heat dissipation by increasing the contact area and utilizing the wire's elasticity to absorb expansion, thereby improving the wire harness's thermal management.
Implementation Method 1
the thermal resistance decreases as the contact area increases, and heat dissipation can be improved
Implementation Method 2
the spring has elasticity to follow expansion and contraction of the core wire and eliminate the gap between the core wire and the insulating sheath
Implementation Method 3
heat is readily released from the spring to the outer cover, and heat dissipation can be more suitably improved
Data Source
AI summary
A wire harness including: a wire; and an outer cover into which the wire is inserted; wherein the outer cover is provided with a spring that is in contact with an outer circumferential surface of the wire. An outer cover into which a wire is to be inserted, the outer cover including a spring configured to come into contact with an outer circumferential surface of the wire.