Integrated multi-specification plug

Abstract

The invention discloses an integrated multi-specification plug. The integrated multi-specification plug comprises contact pins which are fixedly arranged on the plugging surface of the plug and have at least two current specifications; only one specification of pins on the plug protrude out of the plugging surface. According to the invention, the plug is provided with the pins of two or more specifications, and only one pin is limited to protrude out of the plugging surface of the plug, so that one plug is matched with charging sockets or discharging sockets of different specifications for use, the use convenience of the plug is greatly expanded, and the plug is small in size, low in cost and high in reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of connectors, and particularly relates to an integrated multi-specification plug. Background Art

[0002] In existing AC charging and discharging devices for electric vehicles, a single-phase two-pole plug with grounding for household and similar uses is usually used to connect to an external socket to complete the charging or discharging function. Currently, in China, there are various specifications for single-phase two-pole plugs with grounding sockets for household and similar uses, such as 10A, 16A, 32A, etc. Therefore, when designing charging and discharging devices, electric vehicle manufacturers or AC charging and discharging device manufacturers can only choose one specification of plug, resulting in poor compatibility of AC charging and discharging devices during use. An external converter is required to adapt to different specifications of sockets, and the user experience is very poor.

[0003] At the same time, there are significant differences in the charging efficiency between 7kW (32A) AC charging devices for electric vehicles and 3.5kW (16A) and 2.5kW (10A) AC charging devices. Users generally hope to use the faster 7kW charging device. However, if it is a 7kW charging device, the plug of this charging device is often of the industrial plug specification, and this charging device can only be used on its own dedicated socket and cannot be used elsewhere (because it is difficult to find a matching socket elsewhere), which creates a contradiction between charging efficiency and charging compatibility for users. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides an integrated multi-specification plug, mainly by providing at least two current specification pins fixedly arranged on the mating surface of the plug, so as to have the ability of 7kW (32A) fast charging and be able to be compatible with 10A or 16A sockets, effectively improving the applicability of the charging and discharging device.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides at least two current specification pins fixedly arranged on the mating surface of the plug, and at most only one current specification pin protrudes from the mating surface.

[0007] It should be noted that the plug is a commonly used fixed plug-in structure in electrical connections and is used to set at least two specification connection structures. The so-called different specifications refer to two sets of standard pins that can withstand different specification currents made according to corresponding standards without changing the charging or discharging specifications.

[0008] Different from existing multi-purpose plugs or connectors, the plug in the present invention itself has a fixed structure. To avoid operations and complex telescopic / deformable structures, the pins of the plug remain fixed after installation. At the same time, to ensure that all pins do not come into contact with the outside when the plug is connected to an external socket, all pins are arranged on the same end face of the plug. This end face remains in a state of abutment when connected to the external socket, so that all pins are in an inner state during connection, avoiding potential safety hazards caused by contact with any pin during power-on.

[0009] At the same time, to be applicable to sockets of different specifications, that is, at least when there is a socket with only one specification of corresponding pins, the plug can also be inserted into the socket to achieve electrical connection. Therefore, it is limited that at most only one specification of pins on the plug protrudes from the end face of the plug. Specifically, when setting, the pin protruding from the plug is used as the most conventional connection structure. For example, the common three-pin specification can be applicable to existing ordinary sockets. Because other non-standard industrial pins such as 22A and 32A adopt a concave structure design. Since the three-pin is in the form of a male head and the other specification pins are in the form of a female head, when there is only a female head socket for the three-pin, the other specification pins can form an avoidance.

[0010] It should also be noted that the so-called mating surface refers to that when the plug itself is connected to the socket, there will be an abutting surface, and this surface is not limited to being necessarily a flat surface. In other embodiments, even if it is an uneven surface, it can also be regarded as an end face on the plug. Specifically, when the plug is inserted into the socket and abuts, the end face that abuts the socket is the mating surface.

[0011] Combined with the first aspect, the present invention provides a first implementation manner of the first aspect. When the plug is mated with an external socket, all pins on the mating surface are covered and shielded.

[0012] It is worth noting that the so-called covering and shielding of all pins means that when the plug is connected to the external socket, a connection method of end face abutting end face will be formed. When the two end faces form an abutment, by arranging the area occupied by the corresponding pins, it can be completely within the mutually abutting end faces. Thus, when the plug and the socket are completely connected, all pins can be shielded, which is different from the method in the above embodiment that only ensures that all pins are in the inner side, and has a better potential hazard protection effect.

[0013] Combined with the first aspect, the present invention provides a second implementation manner of the first aspect. All pins are connected through an inner conductor provided inside the plug.

[0014] The so-called internal conductor connection means that the pins with different current specifications are independent and spaced from each other outside the plug, but inside the plug, they are different conductive ends belonging to the same group of connected cables. If all the pins are simultaneously connected to the same socket for electrical connection, a parallel relationship is formed between the pins with different current specifications at this time, which can achieve the effect of current sharing.

[0015] Combined with the first aspect, the present invention provides a third implementation manner of the first aspect. The pin is movably connected to the plug, and pins with different current specifications can be replaced with each other, and only one group of pins protrudes from the mating surface.

[0016] This implementation manner is different from the previous fixed pin manner and belongs to a special setting method. That is, the relationship between the pins on the plug and the plug is movable or detachable. In order to connect different sockets, the corresponding pins can be moved out of the mating surface of the plug as needed, and then the other pins are all received or formed into a concave structure.

[0017] Combined with the first aspect or several implementation manners of the first aspect, the present invention provides a fourth implementation manner of the first aspect. The plug includes a first pin protruding from the mating surface and a second pin recessed from the mating surface. The first pin is a three-pin specification of single-phase two-pole with grounding.

[0018] Combined with the fifth implementation manner of the first aspect, the present invention provides a fifth implementation manner of the first aspect. The first pin is a single-phase two-pole with grounding plug specification of 10A or 16A, and the second pin is an industrial plug specification of 22A, 32A or 64A.

[0019] Combined with the fifth implementation manner of the first aspect, the present invention provides a seventh implementation manner of the first aspect. The first pin has a first internal conductor built into the plug, and the second pin has a second internal conductor built into the plug; the live wire end, neutral wire end and ground wire end of the first internal conductor and the second internal conductor are respectively conducted through the built-in port conductors.

[0020] Combined with the fifth implementation manner of the first aspect, the present invention provides an eighth implementation manner of the first aspect. The second pin is a three-groove structure, which is respectively arranged in the triangular gaps of the first pin.

[0021] Combined with the fifth implementation manner of the first aspect, the present invention provides a ninth implementation manner of the first aspect. The plug is also provided with signal contacts for identifying an external socket, and the signal contacts are separately connected to an external circuit through a cable.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0023] (1) The present invention sets more than two types of pins on the plug of the AC charging and discharging device for electric vehicles, and limits that only one type of pin protrudes from the mating surface of the plug, so that the device has the ability of 7kW (32A) fast charging and can be compatible with 10A or 16A sockets, with small volume, low cost and high reliability, effectively improving the applicability of the charging and discharging device.

[0024] (2) The present invention designs a conductor structure with internal integrated connection, that is, all pins of the plug are energized during charging or discharging, and a parallel shunt effect is formed through simultaneous connection. This can not only avoid the influence of different types of pins on the efficiency due to the limitation of the maximum current they can withstand, but also, according to the setting requirements, compared with the single pin with the maximum current specification that needs to bear the capacity, this multi-pin parallel connection method can reduce the specification requirements, thereby reducing costs.

[0025] (3) The present invention, on the same mating surface of the plug, in a spaced manner, utilizes the characteristics of a common three-pin plug, and a large-current pin that is recessed inward is arranged in the gap. This can not only ensure that the overall volume of the plug changes little while reducing the planar spacing, but also form a good actual interval insulation effect through the two ways of outward protrusion and inward depression. At the same time, through area planning, when the plug is connected to an external socket, all pins can be blocked by the contact of the connection surface, achieving non-touchability during connection, thus having high safety. Description of the Drawings

[0026] Figure 1 is the first axonometric view when the plug and the corresponding connected discharging socket are separated in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 is the plan view when the plug and the corresponding connected discharging socket are separated in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 is the second axonometric view when the plug and the corresponding connected discharging socket are separated in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 is the plan view of the plug in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 is the axonometric view of the plug in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 is the first axonometric view of the internal components of the plug in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 is the second axonometric view of the internal components of the plug in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 8 is the plan view of the internal components of the plug in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] In the figure: 1 - plug, 2 - mating surface, 3 - discharge socket, 4 - first pin, 5 - second pin, 6 - signal contact, 7 - wire end, 8 - corresponding socket, 9 - base plate, 10 - port conductor, 11 - insulating baffle, 12 - second inner conductor, 13 - first inner conductor, 14 - signal conductor. Detailed implementation mode

[0035] The present invention will be further explained below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0036] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application. Usually, the components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the accompanying drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0037] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present application claimed, but merely represents the selected embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0038] It should be noted that: Similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings. Therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings.

[0039] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that if terms such as "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. are used to indicate the orientation or positional relationship, it is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of this application is usually placed when in use. It is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present application. In addition, in the description of the present application, if terms such as "first", "second", etc. are used only for distinguishing descriptions, they cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0040] In addition, in the description of the present application, if terms such as "horizontal" and "vertical" are used, it does not mean that the components are required to be absolutely horizontal or hanging, but can be slightly inclined. For example, "horizontal" only means that its direction is more horizontal relative to "vertical", and does not mean that the structure must be completely horizontal, but can be slightly inclined.

[0041] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if the terms "set", "installed", "connected", and "linked" are used, they should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific situations.

[0042] Embodiment 1:

[0043] This embodiment discloses an integrated multi - specification plug 11, which is mainly a cable plug 11 of a charging and discharging device for electric vehicles. One end of the cable is a seven - hole AC charging gun for connecting to the vehicle, and the other end is the redesigned plug 11 structure in this embodiment.

[0044] Specifically, the plug 11 is designed with a fixed - type housing structure. One end of the plug 11 has a wire head 77 that wraps the cable. The cable is connected to the vehicle charging gun port at the other end, that is, connected to the vehicle circuit as an external circuit. The cable is connected to the inner conductor inside the plug 11. On a flat mating surface 22 of the plug 11, there are at least two current - specification pins. Among them, at most one - specification pin has a protruding structure protruding from the mating surface 22 of the plug 11, and other - specification pins are recessed inside the flat mating surface. That is, there is at most one - current - specification male head, which can be used to connect to a female - head socket with only this specification and can also connect to a socket with different - specification male heads, having good compatibility.

[0045] It should be noted that the socket referred to in this embodiment is different from the socket structure with only a female head in the prior art. It specifically refers to all forms of socket structures that the plug 11 in this embodiment can be respectively connected to, and includes fixed wall sockets for charging and mobile power strips for discharging, etc.

[0046] Furthermore, the positions where all the pins are connected to the plug 11 are all within the flat mating surface 22 of the plug 11. When the plug 11 is connected to an external socket, the entire flat mating surface 22 abuts against the plane of the socket when the plug 11 and the socket are fully plugged in, so that all the pins are blocked by the plug 11 when connecting to the socket, avoiding the pins being touchable and forming an electric shock hazard.

[0047] As an implementation method, the plug 11 has pins with two current specifications, that is, a combination of various specifications such as 10A or 16A protruding pins and 22A or 32A or other - current recessed pins. And both types of pins are in a raised - plus - groove structure arranged on the mating surface 22 of the plug 11, and the insulation isolation between the two different pins is achieved through the insulating material of the plug 11 itself.

[0048] As an implementation, the plug 11 has pins of two specifications, namely, the conventional three-pin plug 11 with specifications of 10A or 16A and the pins of the industrial plug 11 with specifications of 22A, 32A or 64A which are recessed. Refer to Figures 1 - 5 , where the pins of the three-pin plug 11 are the first pins 44, and the metal pins in the groove structure are the second pins 55.

[0049] Among them, the first pin 44 is the metal pin of the single-phase two-pole with earth plug 11 for household and similar purposes. Its relative distance and relative position relationship both meet the design requirements of the three-pin structure in IEC and GB1002 national standards. And the volume of the plug 11 itself also adopts the volume of the conventional three-pin plug 11 without increasing the area. The second pin 55 includes three grooves corresponding to the neutral line, live line and ground line. The second pin 55 is evenly arranged in the three-pin gap of the first pin 44, so as to use the three-pin gap to set grooves as the female head on the mating surface 22 of the plug 11, and each groove is provided with a columnar second pin 55. Inside the plug 11, there is a first inner conductor 1313 corresponding to the first pin 44 and a second conductor corresponding to the second pin 55. Among them, the second conductor is designed as an integral structure with the second pin 55, and the first conductor is designed as an integral structure with the pin of the first pin 44.

[0050] As an implementation, the plug 11 has pins of two specifications, and the pins are all movably connected to the plug 11 at the same time, that is, each group of pins can retract into the plug 11, and one group of pins remains protruding from the mating surface 22. This method can be selected according to the socket to be connected. For example, for the three-pin plug 11 of 10A, the three-pin plug 11 of 16A, the three-pin plug 11 of 22A, 32A or 64A, it can be selected to pop out and connect to the external socket.

[0051] Refer to Figure 1 , the plug 11 is correspondingly connected to a discharge socket strip, and the discharge socket strip is provided with a dedicated corresponding socket 88. The overall structure of the corresponding socket 88 is a sunken structure design, with jacks corresponding to the three-pin and a male head structure design corresponding to the second pin 55 with a certain protrusion formed in the sunken groove. When the plug 11 is connected to the corresponding socket 88 of the discharge socket strip, both the first pin 44 and the second pin 55 are connected to the metal conductors in the corresponding socket 88 at the same time.

[0052] As an implementation, also refer to Figures 1 - 5 , where the first pin 44 in the form of a three-pin protruding outward with a specification of 10A or 16A and the second pin 55 with a specification of 32A recessed inward are completely the same as the setting method of the above implementation, but the area of the plug 11 increases, and the relative position relationship of the three-pin and the materials used for the pins can both meet the load-bearing requirements of 32A current.

[0053] As an implementation, an outwardly protruding 10A or 16A three-pin plug pin is provided on the flat mating surface 22 of the same plug 11. In addition, two sets of inwardly recessed 22A plug pins and 32A or 64A plug pins are also provided. The relative positional relationship of this implementation is not shown in the drawings. Specifically, the 22A plug pins are the same as those in the above implementation and are arranged in the gaps of the 10A or 16A three-pin in an inserted-empty manner. For 32A, a separate male-female connection method can be adopted, that is, an independent groove structure is provided outside the three-pin plug pin, and the area of the flat mating surface 22 of the plug 11 is increased to achieve this. When connecting to an external socket, an existing three-pin socket can be connected separately. When connecting, the additional two inwardly recessed pins do not conduct electricity with the socket and are only blocked by the mating surface 22 of the plug 11. When connecting to a dedicated male socket of 22A externally, only the 22A plug pins are conductively connected to the socket, and the 32A male socket has the same setting method.

[0054] Further, the plug 11 has two electrical connection relationships.

[0055] As an implementation, an independent control circuit or an independent signal path is provided inside the plug 11 for independently identifying or cooperating with vehicle communication to identify the specification of the externally connected socket. Then, independent cables corresponding to different specification plug pins are provided in the wire head 77 of the plug 11. After identifying the specification of the externally connected socket through the cables of different specifications, independent power supply is controlled, so as to control the independent power supply of different specification plug pins, which has high safety.

[0056] As an implementation, referring to Figures 6 - 8 , an internal setting method of the plug 11 is shown. Specifically, the plug 11 includes a back shell and a bottom plate 99 covering the opening mating surface 22 of the back shell to form a cover. Three openings are provided on the bottom plate 99 for three independent metal pins to pass through, and the three metal pins form the first pins 44 corresponding to the three-pin specification. Each metal pin corresponds to a first inner conductor 1313 provided inside. At the same time, three grooves are also provided on the bottom plate 99, and a pin is provided in each groove, and the pin corresponds to a second inner conductor 1212 inside.

[0057] On one side of the bottom plate 99, the three pins of the first pins 44 protrude. On the other side of the bottom plate 99, around the recessed groove structure, from the perspective shown in the figure, it is a columnar protrusion structure. There is a height difference between the three first inner conductors 1313 corresponding to the first pins 44 and the second inner conductors 1212 corresponding to the three second pins 55, so as to form a certain interval. Among them, the first inner conductors 1313 are insulated from each other through the columnar protrusion structure formed by setting the second pins 55, and the second inner conductors 1212 are insulated from each other through the W-shaped insulating baffle 1111 provided.

[0058] In this embodiment, both the first pin 44 and the second pin 55 are designed for unidirectional grounding, corresponding to the neutral wire, live wire, and ground wire respectively. Between the first inner conductor 1313 and the second inner conductor 1212 corresponding to the live wire, there is a port conductor 1010 for conducting electricity and forming an equipotential. The port conductor 1010 includes a first arc portion corresponding to and wrapping the first inner conductor 1313, and a second arc portion corresponding to and wrapping the second inner conductor 1212. The first arc portion is connected to the second arc portion through a connecting piece to form an integral structure. In this embodiment, the plug 11 has three independent port conductors 1010, which are respectively used to keep the two specifications of inner conductors in an equipotential connection state on the three wires. At this time, the cable connected to the plug 11 is the same cable, that is, the live wire connected into the plug 11 is connected to the port conductor 1010 of the corresponding live wire pin, so as to achieve the simultaneous connection effect of the two specifications of pins.

[0059] In this implementation, there is no need to additionally set up an independent control module for circuit switching. Instead, a better adaptability is formed through the design method that all pins are energized, which has lower cost and higher stability.

[0060] For the corresponding discharge socket strip and the socket with all corresponding pins, during charging or discharging, since all pins are directly connected to independent metal conductors, when the plug 11 is connected to the socket or the discharge socket strip, all pins are in a parallel relationship. Since the maximum carrying current of the first pin 44 of the 10A or 16A specification is 10A or 16A, according to the principle of parallel current splitting, by designing the cross-sectional area of the port conductor 1010 connecting the corresponding inner conductor, the splitting ratio can be controlled, so that in the case of a 32A maximum current in the main circuit, the maximum current passed by the first pin 44 is limited to 10A or 16A or less. At the same time, the 32A second pin 55 carries more current, generally 20A. This setting method, through the control of the cross-sectional area or other parameters of the connection material, has a fixed resistance ratio to achieve a fixed splitting ratio. Since they are all good conductor structures, in actual use, the second pin 55 of the 32A corresponding specification can reduce the specification requirements, that is, the maximum carrying current target is set to about 22A, which can save costs while ensuring that it can achieve the 32A maximum carrying current.

[0061] Refer to Figure 5 , on the mating surface 22 of the plug 11 shown in the figure, there are also two signal contacts 66. The signal contacts 66 are connected to the independent signal conductor 1414 in the plug 11, and are connected to the separate signal wire harness in the cable through the signal conductor 1414. By contacting the corresponding signal contacts 66 on the external socket through the signal contacts 66, the type of the external device connected by the plug 11 can be identified, so as to select the discharge and charging identification processes.

[0062] For example, referring to Figure 1 , in the figure, the plug 11 is inserted into a discharge socket 33 which has a corresponding socket 88 for receiving the plug 11. The corresponding socket 88 has a counterbore which can exactly accommodate the insertion of the plug 11. The plug 11 can identify the connection to the discharge socket 33 through the signal contact 66, thereby performing a discharge identification process, and finally powering the discharge socket 33 through the plug 11.

[0063] The present invention is not limited to the above optional embodiments, and any person can obtain other various forms of products under the inspiration of the present invention. The above specific embodiments should not be construed as limiting the protection scope of the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the claims, and the specification can be used to interpret the claims.

Claims

1. An integrated multi-specification plug for connecting to an external socket, characterized in that: It includes pins of at least two current specifications fixedly arranged on the mating surface (2) of the plug (1), and at most only one pin of one current specification protrudes from the mating surface (2).

2. The one-piece multi-specification plug according to claim 1, wherein: When the plug (1) is mated with an external socket, all the pins on the mating surface (2) are covered and blocked.

3. The one-piece multi-specification plug according to claim 1, wherein: All the pins are connected through the provided inner conductors inside the plug (1).

4. The one-piece multi-specification plug according to claim 1, wherein: The pins are movably connected to the plug (1), and pins of different current specifications are replaced with each other to ensure that only one set of pins protrudes from the mating surface (2).

5. An integrated multi-specification plug according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: The plug (1) includes a first pin (4) protruding from the mating surface (2) and a second pin (5) recessed in the mating surface (2), and the first pin (4) is a three-pin specification of single-phase two-pole with ground.

6. The one-piece multi-specification plug according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first pin (4) is a single-phase two-pole with ground plug specification of 10A or 16A, and the second pin (5) is an industrial plug specification of 22A, 32A or 64A.

7. The one-piece multi-specification plug according to claim 5, wherein: The first pin (4) has a first inner conductor (13) built into the plug (1), and the second pin (5) has a second inner conductor (12) built into the plug (1); the live wire end, neutral wire end and ground wire end of the first inner conductor (13) and the second inner conductor (12) are respectively conducted through the built-in port conductors (10).

8. The one-piece multi-specification plug according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second pin (5) is a three-groove structure, which is respectively arranged in the triangular gaps of the first pin (4).

9. The one-piece multi-specification plug according to claim 5, wherein: The plug (1) is also provided with signal contacts (6) for identifying an external socket, and the signal contacts (6) are separately connected to an external circuit through a cable.

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