Tesla is building an extensive network of charging stations around the world, which is unique for automakers and develops chargers for them independently. The company strives to make them as useful and reliable as possible, which requires constant improvement. Tesla has filed a patent for ‘Leak detection in a cable assembly,’ which will improve the quality of its chargers.
The development of electric vehicles has created an increased demand for charging equipment that supplies electricity to vehicle batteries. Fast сhargers are designed to operate with continuous currents of 350 amps or more, so they must be able to withstand high current loads. The peculiarity is that the higher the current passing through the charging equipment, the more heat is generated, and Tesla solves this problem by including a cooling pipe with a cooling liquid in it.
However, the presence of coolant in the cable assembly creates new problems. For example, it can leak out of the cooling pipe and come into contact with electrical conductors or the shield of the cable assembly, which can damage the cable, charging equipment and the vehicle, so Tesla solves this problem with a new invention and cable assembly method.
Source: Tesla Patent.FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the connector, according to certain stages of the present disclosure.
Tesla's new patent, published May 21, describes an invention that relates to cable assembly. According to it, a special module is included in the cable assembly that detects the leak. After detecting a leak, the module can alert the user to stop using the cable to charge the vehicle or automatically stop supplying power to the cable assembly. Thus, leak detection can help avoid faults in cable assemblies that can occur due to coolant contact with electrical conductors, and increase the safety of use of such cable assemblies.
Source: Tesla patent. FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an example of a leak detection module for the cable assembly, according to certain of the present disclosure.
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About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
