Study of electric arc parameters during the extraction phase for automotive connectors

Abstract

Comfort, safety, communication, control with assistance (antilock brake system, seat heating, multimedia, etc.), and safeguarding the environment are many factors that are included in the new generation of vehicles. The increase in the number of electronic and electric systems leads to a high level of vehicle control. To answer this high electric power demand, it will be necessary to triple the voltage of the batteries (from 14 to 42 V). The objective of this work is to study the arc phenomenon that can occur in an accidental way during the use of a high electric power and particularly during the extraction phase of the male part from the female part of the automotive connector. It was observed that this can be characterized by both its energy and its temperature. The amplification of the contact current from 14 to 42 V d.c. considerably increases arc damage.

Keywords

automotive connector electrical contact insertion phase arcing damage contact resistance

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Benjemaa

Doublet

Morin

Jeannot

Break arc study for the new electrical level of 42 V in automotive applications. In Proceedings of the 47th IEEE Holm Conference on

EC, Montreal, Canada, 2001, vols 10–12, pp. 50–55.

Sakiyama

Ide

Akashi

A new connector for 42 V automotive electrical system. In SAE World Congress, Detroit, Michigan, 5–8 March 2001, SAE Technical Paper Series 2001-01-0724.

Bellamy

P. D.

Fritz

R. A.

Myers

W. V.

Robinson

G. J.

Simonetty

R. L.

Taylor

J. M.

Resistive pin for printed circuit card connector. US Pat. No. 4 747 783, 31 May 1988, vol. 4, pp. 747–783.

Hirai

Arc-proof connector. In MIT/Consortium Congress, Toulouse, France, 6 November 2002.

Miwa

Electrical connector. UK Pat. Application GB No. 2 359 939 A, 9 May 2001, vol. 2, pp. 359–939 A.

Herard

J. D.

Taking the ZAP out of hot plugging. Machine Des., 1990, 46, 50–54.

Schoepf

Drew

Disengaging connectors under automotive 42 VDC loads. In Proceedings of the 48th Holm Conference on

Electrical contacts, Orlando, Florida, October 2002, pp. 120–127.

Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). Directive 2002/95/EC of the European parliament and of the council of 27 January 2003, L 37/19; http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2003/1_037/1_03720030213en00190023.pdf. 2002.

Benjemaa

El Manfalouti

El Abdi

Mechanical and electrical analysis of connector insertion-extraction phase. In International Conference on

IS-EMD, Kobe, Japan, 2003, vol. 103 (448), pp. 71–76.

10.

El Manfalouti, A., Benjemaa, N., and El Abdi, R. A new experimental method for the determination of connector parameters in insertion-extraction phase. IEICE Trans. Electronics, vol. E87-C, 2004, 8, 1289–1294.

11.

Fechant

Le contact électrique: Phénomènes physiques et matériaux. In

Collection SEE, Hermes Edition, 1997.

12.

Morin

Etude expérimental des arcs électriques et de leurs conséquences sur les matériaux de contact: Application aux commutateurs automobiles de puissance, Thèse de Doctoral, Université de Rennes1, France, 2000.

13.

Nedelec

Contribution a I'étude des arcs électriques et de leurs conséquences sur les matériaux de contacts: Application aux commutateurs automobiles, Thèse de Doctoral, Université de Rennes1, France, 1997.

14.

Doublet

Contribution à I'étude de I'arc électrique et de ses interactions avec les matériaux de contact sous 42 volts DC pour applications automobiles, Thèse de Doctoral, Université de Rennes1, France, 2004.

15.

Schoepf

Unplugging of connectors under load in a 42 VDC power network for vehicles. In the 16th Albert-Keil-Kontaktseminar, Karlsruhe, 26–28 September 2001, VDE Fachbericht, vol. 57, pp. 11–20 (vde-verlag, Berlin, Offnenbach).