by the editorial staff | Ever smaller and ever lighter: this is how electronic devices must be. As a result, designers are called upon to devise proportionally more and more compact components, capable of handling higher electrical powers as their size decreases. This requires adherence to certain standards and the careful study of a design solution applicable to all devices, as well as the know-how to combine minimum footprint and maximum power transmission, without compromising on user safety.
They know this well at Odu, the supplier of connection systems headquartered in Mühldorf am Inn, Germany, whose connectors ensure, in many demanding application areas, reliable transmission of power, signals, data, and fluids, as much in the medical, military, communications, security, and automotive sectors as in industrial electronics and test and measurement technology.
As Sebastian Dormeier, Odu's Circular Connectors product manager, explains, "The combination of minimum footprint and maximum power transmission is becoming increasingly important to our customers and, in most cases, is expected to be a prerequisite, regardless of the business sector. The case of one of our new products for high-voltage applications is imn this sense emblematic."
What kind of connector is it and what are ODU's strengths?
Among the plastic connectors we have developed a new insert suitable for high voltage, which guarantees reliable transmission up to 1,000 volts AC and 16 amps. And we are talking about a connector with a diameter of no more than 20 mm. In addition, the pin arrangement is designed in such a way that so-called hot plugging can be eliminated as a rule already in advance. To achieve this effect we use shorter signal contacts that determine the fully coupled state and allow the electronic control unit to do likewise. The transmission of current and voltage stops immediately as soon as a user is about to engage or disengage the connector under load. This particular aspect of safety, especially in the presence of high voltages and currents, is extremely important to our customers and-ultimately-to the users themselves, plus it ensures the functional safety and long-term operability of our products. To signal the presence of high voltages, we can also provide our orange colored connector upon request.
Speaking of the safety issue you just mentioned, what are the most important regulations in this area?
High-voltage connectors are designed in accordance with DIN EN IEC 60664-1, which deals with insulation coordination for equipment and functional insulation of components in general. Since our connectors are also used in many different fields, we have also designed them in accordance with IEC 60601-1, so that we can also fully meet the needs of customers working in the medical field.
What are the characteristics of your connectors that ensure compliance with IEC 60601-1?
In order to achieve the maximum in means of protection in the field of medical technology, we increased the surface leakage pathway and discharge distance between the live contacts inside and the accessible parts of the housing. To do this, we applied insulating caps around the contacts. Thus: the greater the surface leakage pathway and the discharge distance, the greater is also the level of protection that is achieved, which in our case is the maximum level, 2 MOPP - that is, two means of patient protection for medical devices operating at 230V AC. Because our components have these two levels of protection and we combine them with specially selected cables, the medical device manufacturer does not have to integrate additional components into the power supply, thus saving time, labor and of course cost. This connector is used, for example, for ablation catheters, which, on the one hand, must comply with IEC 60601-1 and, on the other hand, can be crossed by even high voltages for a few seconds.
Is the high voltage connector the only one of this type produced by ODU or are there others?
Among the circular connectors, we also offer some customized versions for high voltages and currents for the ODU MINI-SNAP® series. ODU-MAC® modules in the rectangular connector series offer solutions up to 9.5 kV in pollution degree 2 and standard solutions with voltage ratings of 6.3 kV or 4 kV available at short notice. This can be combined with other modules in a hybrid connector solution. Thus, these are connectors without switching capacity (COC) and have been tested for partial discharge voltages. In addition to standard products, we offer many custom connectors, optionally mounted on high voltage cables as complete assemblies. All from a single source, ensuring minimum installation space, at maximum power transmission and maximum safety.
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