Vehicle-mounted docking station

Abstract

The vehicle-mounted docking station provided by the embodiment of the utility model comprises a shell, a vehicle charging head, a rotating part and at least one charging wire. The shell is provided with an accommodating space and an opening; one end of the vehicle charging head protrudes out of the outer surface of the shell and is used for being electrically connected with a vehicle-mounted power supply; the rotating piece is arranged at the opening and is provided with a through hole; the charging wire comprises a first end and a second end, the first end of the charging wire is arranged in the containing space and establishes a conductive path with the vehicle charging head, the charging wire penetrates through the through hole, the second end of the charging wire is provided with a charging interface, the charging interface is located outside the shell, and the charging wire can drive the rotating part to rotate relative to the shell. According to the vehicle-mounted docking station, the charging wire penetrates through the through hole of the rotating part, the charging wire can drive the rotating part to rotate relative to the shell, when a user twists the charging wire to be in butt joint with the mobile terminal, the charging wire can drive the rotating part to rotate, deformation of the charging wire can be reduced, the charging wire can be protected, and therefore the service life of the vehicle-mounted docking station is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of automotive parts technology, and more particularly to an in-vehicle expansion dock. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing popularity of automobiles and the development of intelligent technology, users have higher requirements for the riding experience. The limited number of charging ports on the car's center console is insufficient to meet users' charging needs.

[0003] In related technologies, vehicle docking stations are used to meet users' charging needs. To facilitate charging using vehicle docking stations, some vehicle docking stations come with charging cables. During use, the charging cables need to be twisted and deformed to connect to the charging interface of the mobile terminal, resulting in a high failure rate for the charging cables. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, embodiments of this application aim to provide an in-vehicle expansion dock to reduce the torsional deformation of charging cables and lower the failure rate of charging cables.

[0005] This application provides a vehicle-mounted expansion dock, including:

[0006] The casing has a receiving space and an opening;

[0007] A car charger head, one end of which protrudes from the outer surface of the housing and is used for electrical connection with the vehicle's power supply;

[0008] A rotating component is disposed at the opening, the rotating component having a through hole;

[0009] At least one charging cable, the charging cable including a first end and a second end, the first end of the charging cable being disposed in the receiving space and establishing a conductive path with the car charger head, the charging cable passing through the through hole, the second end of the charging cable being provided with a charging interface, the charging interface being located outside the housing, the charging cable being able to drive the rotating component to rotate relative to the housing.

[0010] In some embodiments, the vehicle dock includes a storage tray and an elastic element, the storage tray being rotatably disposed in the receiving space, the storage tray being used to wind the charging cable, and the elastic element applying a spring force to the storage tray to give the storage tray a tendency to rotate in the direction of winding the charging cable.

[0011] In some embodiments, the rotating member includes a first stop, a second stop, and a cylinder. The first stop and the second stop are respectively disposed at opposite ends of the cylinder along a first direction, and both the first stop and the second stop protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder. The first stop is located outside the housing, and the second stop is located in the receiving space.

[0012] In some embodiments, the projected outlines of the first stop and / or the second stop are circular when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the first direction.

[0013] In some embodiments, the outer diameter of the second stop is greater than the outer diameter of the first stop; and / or, in the first direction, the size of the second stop is not less than the size of the first stop.

[0014] In some implementations, the rotating component is a one-piece structure.

[0015] In some implementations, the vehicle-mounted dock includes a positioning element disposed in the receiving space, the positioning element being configured to engage with the second stop portion.

[0016] In some embodiments, the axial end face of the second stop portion away from the cylinder has a plurality of protrusions for contacting the positioning member stop.

[0017] In some implementations, the outer surface of the housing is provided with an interface groove for receiving the charging interface of the charging cable.

[0018] In some embodiments, the vehicle docking station includes a magnetic structure disposed in the receiving space for magnetically absorbing the charging interface housed within the interface recess.

[0019] The vehicle docking station of this application embodiment allows the charging cable to pass through the through hole of the rotating component, enabling the charging cable to drive the rotating component to rotate relative to the housing. When the user twists the charging cable to connect to the mobile terminal, the charging cable can drive the rotating component to rotate, which can reduce the deformation of the charging cable, protect the charging cable, and thus extend the service life of the vehicle docking station. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a vehicle-mounted expansion dock provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 2 for Figure 1 An explosion diagram;

[0022] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Internal structure diagram;

[0023] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged view of point A in the middle;

[0024] Figure 5A schematic diagram of the structure of a rotating component of a vehicle-mounted expansion dock provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Another perspective illustration.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0027] 10. Shell; 10a. Opening; 10b. Accommodation space; 10c. Interface groove; 20. Car charger head; 30. Rotating component; 30a. Through hole; 30b. Protrusion; 31. First stop; 32. Second stop; 33. Cylinder; 40. Charging cable; 41. Charging interface; 50. Storage tray; 60. Positioning component; 70. Magnetic structure; 80. Adapter head storage compartment. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0029] The specific technical features described in the specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. For example, different combinations of specific technical features can form different embodiments and technical solutions. To avoid unnecessary repetition, the various possible combinations of the specific technical features in this application will not be described separately.

[0030] In the following description, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used merely to distinguish different objects and do not indicate that the objects have the sameness or relationship. It should be understood that the directional descriptions "above," "below," "outside," and "inside" refer to the orientation under normal use conditions, while "left" and "right" refer to the left and right directions shown in the corresponding diagrams, which may or may not be the left and right directions under normal use conditions.

[0031] It should be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. "A plurality of" means two or more.

[0032] This application provides an embodiment of a vehicle-mounted expansion dock; please refer to... Figure 1 and Figure 2 It includes a housing 10, a car charger head 20, a rotating part 30, and at least one charging cable 40.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The housing 10 has a receiving space 10b and an opening 10a. It is understood that the housing 10 has a certain structural strength, capable of protecting the components within the receiving space 10b. Furthermore, the opening 10a connects the receiving space 10b to the external environment.

[0034] One end of the car charger 20 protrudes from the outer surface of the housing 10 for electrical connection with the vehicle's power supply. It is understood that the protrusion of the car charger 20 from the outer surface of the housing 10 facilitates electrical connection between the car charger 20 and the vehicle's power supply, for example, facilitating insertion of the car charger 20 into the vehicle's cigarette lighter socket for electrical connection.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 The rotating member 30 is disposed in the opening 10a, and the rotating member 30 has a through hole 30a. It can be understood that the through hole 30a penetrates the rotating member 30, that is, the through hole 30a can also connect the receiving space 10b and the external environment.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The charging cable 40 includes a first end and a second end. The first end of the charging cable 40 is disposed in the receiving space 10b and establishes a conductive path with the car charger head 20. The charging cable 40 passes through the through hole 30a. The second end of the charging cable 40 is provided with a charging interface 41, which is located outside the housing 10. The charging cable 40 can drive the rotating part 30 to rotate relative to the housing 10. It can be understood that the charging interface 41 is used to connect to a mobile terminal and can deliver electrical energy from the vehicle power supply to the mobile terminal to power the mobile terminal.

[0037] In related technologies, when users charge mobile terminals using the charging cable of a vehicle docking station, the orientation of the mobile terminal's interface and the extension direction of the charging cable are prone to misalignment. Users need to forcibly twist the charging cable at a certain angle to connect it with the mobile terminal's interface, resulting in a certain torsional angle between the charging cable and the shell of the vehicle docking station. During long-term use, the charging cable is prone to damage, affecting the service life of the vehicle docking station.

[0038] The vehicle-mounted docking station provided in this application embodiment allows the charging cable 40 to pass through the through hole 30a of the rotating member 30, enabling the charging cable 40 to drive the rotating member 30 to rotate relative to the housing 10. This reduces deformation of the charging cable 40 and protects it, thereby extending the service life of the vehicle-mounted docking station.

[0039] In a specific embodiment, some models, such as the Li Auto L8 and L9, feature a hollowed-out design for the center console. This hollowed-out design creates a channel connecting the driver and passenger seats, with the cigarette lighter located on the side wall of the hollowed-out area. A vehicle-mounted docking station is installed in the hollowed-out area, and the car charger 20 connects to the cigarette lighter in the hollowed-out area, allowing the cigarette lighter to supply power to the vehicle-mounted docking station.

[0040] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The vehicle docking station includes a storage tray 50 and an elastic element (not shown in the figure). The storage tray 50 is rotatably disposed in the receiving space 10b. The storage tray 50 is used to wind the charging cable 40. The elastic element applies a spring force to the storage tray 50, causing the storage tray 50 to tend to rotate in the direction of winding the charging cable 40. It is understood that the cooperation between the storage tray 50 and the elastic element enables the charging cable 40 to have a telescopic function. When the user applies a pulling force to the charging interface 41, the charging cable 40 inside the storage tray 50 can be pulled out, causing the size of the charging cable 40 outside the housing 10 to extend, meeting the user's long-distance charging needs. When the user removes the pulling force from the charging interface 41, under the action of the elastic element, the storage tray 50 will wind the charging cable 40, causing part of the charging cable 40 outside the housing 10 to retract back into the receiving space 10b through the through hole 30a. This not only makes the structure of the vehicle docking station compact but also effectively protects the charging cable 40.

[0041] It should be noted that the size of the charging port 41 is larger than that of the through hole 30a, and the charging port 41 cannot be retracted into the receiving space 10b through the through hole 30a.

[0042] It should be noted that the length of the charging cable 40 that can be pulled out of the housing 10 is not limited, for example, it can be 1cm to 100cm.

[0043] It should be noted that the specific structure of the rotating component 30 is not limited.

[0044] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6The rotating component 30 includes a first stop 31, a second stop 32, and a cylindrical body 33. The first stop 31 and the second stop 32 are respectively disposed at opposite ends of the cylindrical body 33 along a first direction, and both the first stop 31 and the second stop 32 protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 33. The first stop 31 is located outside the housing 10, and the second stop 32 is located in the receiving space 10b. It is understood that when the cylindrical body 33 moves towards the receiving space 10b, the first stop 31 located outside the housing 10 can engage with the housing 10 to stop the movement of the cylindrical body 33; when the cylindrical body 33 moves away from the receiving space 10b, the second stop 32 located in the receiving space 10b can engage with the housing 10 to stop the movement of the cylindrical body 33. Thus, the first stop 31 and the second stop 32 can prevent the rotating component 30 from falling off the opening 10a, thereby improving the operational stability of the rotating component 30.

[0045] It should be noted that the first direction refers to Figure 5 The direction indicated by the first arrow in the middle.

[0046] For example, the outer diameter of the cylinder 33 is smaller than the aperture of the opening 10a, and the difference between the two is 3mm to 10mm. In this way, during the rotation of the rotating member 30 relative to the housing 10, the rotational friction between the cylinder 33 and the housing 10 can be reduced, making it easier for the rotating member 30 to rotate under the drive of the charging cable 40.

[0047] In some embodiments, the projected outlines of the first stop portion 31 and / or the second stop portion 32 are circular when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the first direction. This allows the first stop portion 31 and / or the second stop portion 32 to conform to the shape of the cylinder 33, reducing the manufacturing difficulty of the rotating member 30; and it also enhances the ability of the first stop portion 31 and / or the second stop portion 32 to restrict the movement of the cylinder 33.

[0048] It should be noted that the orthographic projection on the plane perpendicular to the first direction includes the following cases: First, the outline of the projection of the first stop 31 is circular; Second, the outline of the projection of the second stop 32 is circular; Third, the outlines of the projections of both the first stop 31 and the second stop 32 are circular.

[0049] It should be noted that in the orthographic projection onto a plane perpendicular to the first direction, the projected outline of the cylinder 33 is circular.

[0050] In some embodiments, the outer diameter of the second stop portion 32 is larger than the outer diameter of the first stop portion 31. That is, the outer diameter of the first stop portion 31 is smaller than the outer diameter of the second stop portion 32. During the assembly of the rotating component 30, the first stop portion 31 with the smaller outer diameter can be passed through the opening 10a first, making it easier for the assembler to know the assembly direction of the rotating component 30 and improving the assembly efficiency of the rotating component 30. In addition, the outer diameter of the second stop portion 32 is larger than the outer diameter of the first stop portion 31, so that the second stop portion 32 can effectively stop and engage with the housing 10 to restrict the movement of the cylinder 33 in a direction away from the receiving space 10b.

[0051] It should be noted that the rotating component 30 can be a flexible structure that can deform under external force without breaking.

[0052] For example, please refer to Figure 6 In the first direction, the dimension H2 of the second stop 32 is not less than the dimension H1 of the first stop 31. This is understood to ensure that the second stop 32 has strong structural strength, reducing the possibility of damage to the rotating component 30 caused by the user forcefully pulling the charging cable 40, and improving the service life of the rotating component 30.

[0053] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 The rotating component 30 is a one-piece structure. This improves the connection strength between the first stop 31, the cylinder 33, and the second stop 32, thereby increasing the overall structural strength of the rotating component 30.

[0054] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 The vehicle-mounted docking station includes a positioning member 60, which is disposed in the receiving space 10b and is used to engage with the second stop portion 32. It is understood that the engagement of the positioning member 60 with the second stop portion 32 restricts the movement tendency of the rotating member 30 towards the receiving space 10b, thereby improving the stability of the rotating member 30 in use.

[0055] In the embodiment including the storage tray 50 and the elastic member, when the storage tray 50 is winding the charging cable 40, the charging cable 40 will exert a force on the rotating member 30 to move toward the receiving space 10b during the movement. The positioning member 60 and the first stop 31 can work together to block the movement of the rotating member 30, so as to reduce the possibility that the rotating member 30 will be brought into the receiving space 10b along with the charging cable 40.

[0056] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 6The second stop portion 32 has multiple protrusions 30b on its shaft end face away from the cylinder 33. These protrusions 30b are used to contact the positioning member 60. It can be understood that the contact between the multiple protrusions 30b and the positioning member 60 reduces the friction between the second stop portion 32 and the positioning member 60 during rotation relative to the housing 10, facilitating the rotation of the rotating member 30 relative to the housing 10 under the drive of the charging cable 40.

[0057] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 1 The outer surface of the housing 10 is provided with an interface groove 10c for storing the charging interface 41 of the charging cable 40. It can be understood that when the charging interface 41 is not in use, it can be stored in the interface groove 10c, which can reduce the possibility of the charging interface 41 being caught by foreign objects and causing damage to the charging interface 41, and can also improve the aesthetics of the vehicle dock.

[0058] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2 The vehicle-mounted docking station includes a magnetic structure 70, which is disposed in the receiving space 10b and is used to magnetically absorb the charging interface 41 housed in the interface groove 10c. Understandably, under the magnetic attraction of the magnetic structure 70, the charging interface 41 will not easily fall out of the interface groove 10c under external force, and can effectively protect the charging interface 41 during vehicle movement.

[0059] In the embodiments of this application, the charging interface 41 includes at least one of the following: Type-A interface, Micro-B interface, Type-C interface, Lightning interface, and Thunderbolt interface.

[0060] Type-A, Micro-B, Type-C, Lightning, and Thunderbolt interfaces are all commonly used charging interfaces 41, meeting users' needs for charging multiple electronic devices. Optionally, the charging interface 41 can be a DC interface.

[0061] Type-A, Micro-B, and Type-C interfaces are all USB interfaces. USB is an abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. Type-A and Micro-B interfaces can use USB 2.0, USB 3.0, or USB 3.1 standard protocols. The Lightning connector is a connector specification defined by Apple. Thunderbolt is a connection standard developed by Intel and can be either Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4.

[0062] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2The vehicle-mounted docking station also includes at least one adapter storage compartment 80. The adapter storage compartment 80 has storage space that conforms to the shape of the adapter for storing the adapter.

[0063] In a specific embodiment, two adapter storage compartments 80 are distributed on the left and right sides of the docking station body. Each adapter storage compartment 80 contains an adapter (i.e., a converter), allowing users to use it with the corresponding charging interface 41 according to the required charging plug type. This improves the utilization rate of the charging interface 41 and provides users with more options. For example, any adapter that converts Micro USB to Type-C can be used; this application does not limit the type of adapter interface.

[0064] In the description of this application, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the embodiments of this application. In this application, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine different embodiments or examples described in this application, as well as features of different embodiments or examples.

[0065] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted expansion dock, characterized in that, include: The casing has a receiving space and an opening; A car charger head, one end of which protrudes from the outer surface of the housing and is used for electrical connection with the vehicle's power supply; A rotating component is disposed at the opening, the rotating component having a through hole; At least one charging cable, the charging cable including a first end and a second end, the first end of the charging cable being disposed in the receiving space and establishing a conductive path with the car charger head, the charging cable passing through the through hole, the second end of the charging cable being provided with a charging interface, the charging interface being located outside the housing, the charging cable being able to drive the rotating component to rotate relative to the housing.

2. The vehicle-mounted expansion dock according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vehicle-mounted dock includes a storage tray and an elastic element. The storage tray is rotatably disposed in the receiving space. The storage tray is used to wind the charging cable. The elastic element applies a spring force to the storage tray so that the storage tray tends to rotate in the direction of winding the charging cable.

3. The vehicle-mounted expansion dock according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating component includes a first stop, a second stop, and a cylinder. The first stop and the second stop are respectively disposed at opposite ends of the cylinder along a first direction, and both the first stop and the second stop protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder. The first stop is located outside the housing, and the second stop is located in the receiving space.

4. The vehicle-mounted expansion dock according to claim 3, characterized in that, In orthographic projection onto a plane perpendicular to the first direction, the projected outlines of the first stop portion and / or the second stop portion are circular.

5. The vehicle-mounted expansion dock according to claim 4, characterized in that, The outer diameter of the second stop is greater than the outer diameter of the first stop; and / or, in the first direction, the size of the second stop is not less than the size of the first stop.

6. The vehicle-mounted expansion dock according to claim 3, characterized in that, The rotating component is a one-piece structure.

7. The vehicle-mounted expansion dock according to claim 3, characterized in that, The vehicle-mounted expansion dock includes a positioning component, which is disposed in the accommodating space and is used to cooperate with the second stop portion.

8. The vehicle-mounted expansion dock according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second stop portion has a plurality of protrusions on the shaft end face away from the cylinder, the plurality of protrusions being used to contact the positioning member stop.

9. The vehicle-mounted expansion dock according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer surface of the housing is provided with an interface groove for accommodating the charging interface of the charging cable.

10. The vehicle-mounted expansion dock according to claim 9, characterized in that, The vehicle-mounted docking station includes a magnetic structure disposed in the accommodating space for magnetically absorbing the charging interface housed within the interface groove.

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