At DC voltages above 20 V, short or open circuits can cause sustaining electric arcs. A small defect can already lead to a vehicle fire or at least heavy damage to the wire harness. Up to the low voltage of 60 V no special personal protection measures are required. Above 60 V, a protection against direct body contact, and above 120 V, a protection also against indirect contact has to be provided. Hence, the two Hybrid electrical system variants require protection both against electric arc formation and against accidental contact. Alcoa has developed an improved safety concept for the electrical system that ensures complete control and maximum protection for multi-voltage systems. The new system, for which a patent is pending, consists of a special-purpose wire with integrated sensor and connecting elements, an electronic detection unit and a cut-off device which cuts off the high-voltage supply. This new system design allows the rapid cut-off of the high-voltage supply in critical situations (e.g. accidents, careless repair attempts by the vehicle owner etc.) so that no electrical arcs can form and thermal events are effectively prevented.
Wire harness with integrated safety function for dual voltage electrical distribution systems
Kabelbaum mit integrierter Sicherheitsfunktion für ein elektrisches Verteilungsnetz mit zwei Spannungsebenen
2007
7 Seiten, 6 Bilder, 2 Tabellen
Conference paper
Storage medium
English