Universal Electric Plug

Abstract

To provide a universal electric plug capable of implementing a lock when it is used in conjunction with a universal outlet.SOLUTION: A universal electric plug including a housing 10, a pin 40, a guide portion 51, a movable locking bar 30, and an actuating member is provided. The pin 40 is inserted into an insertion port adaptable to a plug socket to achieve electrical connection, is fixed to the housing 10, has an accommodating groove 41, and one side surface constituting an opening surface 411 of the accommodating groove 41. The locking bar 30 is in a loosened position or a locked position. The locking bar is accommodated in the accommodating groove 41 when it is in the loosened position, and is pushed by the guide portion 51 to at least partially protrude from the opening surface 411 when it is in the locked position. The actuating member moves the locking bar 30 and holds the locking bar 30 in the locked position such that the protruding portion of the locking bar 30 is frictionally locked in the insertion port.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of connectors, and more particularly to universal electrical plugs. [Background technology]

[0002] When an electrical plug is inserted into an outlet, it energizes the electrical device, and when the electrical plug is removed from the outlet, it cuts off the power. In some special places, it is necessary to maintain a stable electrical connection when the electrical plug is connected to the outlet, so the electrical plug may be provided with a locking structure that locks the electrical plug to the outlet.

[0003] The locking structure is provided as a buckle structure, and typically, an elastic buckle is provided on the electrical plug and an engaging opening for engaging with the elastic buckle is provided on the outlet. During use, the elastic buckle enters the locking opening to connect and securely connect the electrical plug and the outlet. Such an electrical plug is used with a matching outlet and cannot be used in combination with a universal outlet. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In view of this, in order to solve one of the technical problems in the related art to some extent, there is a need to provide a universal electrical plug that can be used in conjunction with a universal outlet to achieve locking, that does not hinder the insertion and removal of the pins from the outlet receptacle, and that does not affect the conduction of electricity to the pins when locked. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to the first aspect of the present invention, specifically, Housing and a pin adapted to be inserted into a corresponding receptacle of the outlet to establish an electrical connection, the pin being fixed to the housing and having a receiving groove, one side of which forms an opening of the receiving groove; A guide portion; a movable lock bar that is in a loosened position or a locked position, and that is accommodated in the accommodation groove when in the loosened position, and that is pushed out by the guide portion and at least partially protrudes from the opening surface when in the locked position; and an actuating member connected to the locking bar, driving the locking bar to move, and holding the locking bar in the locked position so as to frictionally lock a protruding portion of the locking bar within the receptacle.

[0006] Furthermore, the guide portion is a part of the pin and is located outside the housing.

[0007] Furthermore, the guide portion has a first guide slope, and the locking bar has a second guide slope corresponding to the first guide slope, and when the locking bar is in the locked position, the second guide slope is acted upon by the first guide slope to cause the locking bar to at least partially protrude from the opening surface.

[0008] Furthermore, the locking bar includes a thinned portion, and when the locking bar is in the locked position, the guide portion acts on the locking bar to bend the thinned portion.

[0009] Furthermore, a groove is recessed in the surface of the locking bar facing the guide portion, the thinned portion corresponds to the position of the groove, the front inner surface of the groove is the second guide slope, and the locking bar includes a thickened portion located at the rear end of the groove.

[0010] According to the second aspect of the present invention, specifically, Housing and a pin adapted to be inserted into a corresponding receptacle of the outlet to establish an electrical connection, the pin being fixed to the housing and having a receiving groove, one side of which forms an opening of the receiving groove; an actuating member; a movable locking bar that is driven by the actuating member and guided by a guide portion and is movable from a locked position to a loosened position, that at the locked position at least partially protrudes from the opening surface to frictionally lock the protruding portion within the socket, and that at the loosened position is received in the receiving groove.

[0011] Furthermore, the guide portion is located on the housing or on the pin.

[0012] Furthermore, the guide portion has a first guide surface, the locking bar has a second guide surface corresponding to the first guide surface, and the locking bar moves from the locked position to the loosened position through cooperation between the first guide surface and the second guide surface.

[0013] Furthermore, when the lock bar is in the locked position, an end of the lock bar protrudes from the opening surface.

[0014] Furthermore, the guide portion further limits the projection of the lock bar during the projection process. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] In the universal electric plug of the present invention, the pin is formed with a receiving groove, and when the locking bar is in a relaxed position, the locking bar is received in the receiving groove, allowing the pin to be smoothly inserted into and removed from a compatible socket of a receptacle. After the pin is inserted into the socket, the locking bar is driven to move by the operating member, and under the hold of the operating member, the part of the locking bar protruding from the opening is locked with the socket by friction, thereby realizing the lock between the electric plug and the receptacle. Therefore, the electric plug of the present invention can be used with a universal outlet, and there is no need for the receptacle to have a specific structure, thereby improving the versatility of the electric plug and the connection reliability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] The internal structure of Figure 1 is shown. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I1-I1 in FIG. [Figure 4] 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the structure taken along line I2-I2 in FIG. 1 when the lock bar is in a loosened position. [Figure 5] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of part of FIG. 1 when the locking bar is in a locked position. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a part of the structure of a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the structure taken along the XZ plane of FIG. 6.

[0017] The invention is further described in the following detailed description with reference to the above drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, the technical means in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without any creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be noted that the drawings are for reference and explanation only, and do not limit the present invention. The connection relationships shown in the drawings are for clarity of explanation only, and do not limit the connection method.

[0019] 1 is a schematic diagram of an electric plug according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the front-rear direction is designated as X, the left-right direction as Y, and the up-down direction as Z, without any limitation.

[0020] Figure 2 shows the internal structure of an electrical plug 100. As shown in Figure 2, the electrical plug 100 is a male connector and includes a housing 10, an actuating member 20, a locking bar 30, and a plurality of pins 40. The housing 10 has a front end S1 and a rear end S2. The pins 40 are fixed to the housing 10 and extend from the interior of the housing 10 to the front end of the housing 10. The pins 40 are connected to conductors within the housing 10, and the conductors extend from the rear end of the housing 10 to form a cable. The pins 40 are inserted into a socket and can contact conductive pieces within the socket to establish electrical continuity.

[0021] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I1-I1 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, at least one pin 40 has an accommodating groove 41, and the inner end of the accommodating groove 41 extends and penetrates the inner end of the pin 40. One side surface 411 of the pin 40 forms an opening surface 411 of the accommodating groove 41, and the lock bar 30 protrudes from the opening surface 411. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the side surface 411 is the top surface of the pin 40. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the side surface 411 is the bottom surface. In other embodiments, the side surface 411 may also be a left side surface or a right side surface.

[0022] The cross-sectional contour shape of the locking bar 30 along the YZ plane may be the same as the cross-sectional contour shape of the receiving groove 41, and the locking bar 30 includes a front surface 301, a side surface 302, and a back surface 303 corresponding to the opening surface 411. The receiving groove 41 includes two position limiting surfaces 412 located on opposite sides, which correspond to the side surfaces 302 of the locking bar 30 and prevent the locking bar 30 from moving sideways in a direction perpendicular to the extrusion direction, ensuring that the movement directions of the locking bar 30 include the forward / backward direction, the extrusion direction, and the retraction direction, thereby ensuring that the locking bar 30 does not shift during movement.

[0023] The cross-sectional contour of pin 40 along the YZ plane may be U-shaped or circular to fit the shape of the socket of a universal outlet. For the structure of U-shaped pin 40, refer to Figures 1 to 3 of the first embodiment, and for the structure of circular pin 40, refer to Figures 5 and 7 of the second embodiment. The top surface of pin 40 with a U-shaped contour is flat, and an opening 411 is formed on the top surface. The bottom surface of pin 40 with a circular contour is an arcuate surface, and an opening 411 is formed on the bottom surface.

[0024] The actuating member 20 is provided inside the housing 10 and may be, but is not limited to, a screw-type actuating member or a handle-type actuating member. A screw-type actuating member converts the rotation of a screw into linear motion, while a handle-type actuating member converts the rotation of a rotary shaft into linear motion.

[0025] The actuating member 20 includes an active member 21 and a passive member 22. The active member 21 may be, for example, a nut or a handle, and is an object to which an operator directly applies force. The passive member 22 is driven by the active member 21 and moves back and forth via the active member 21.

[0026] In this embodiment, the actuating member 20 is a handle-type actuating member, i.e., it includes an active handle 21 and a moving block 22 (passive member 22), and in the process of rotating the handle 21, the convex portion of the handle 21 pushes the moving block 22 to move it forward and backward.

[0027] A rail 11 is provided within the housing 10, and the passive member 22 is provided so as to slide within the rail 11 and move in the front-to-rear direction. Below the rail 11, there is a space 12 for accommodating the conductor wire to which the pin 40 is connected.

[0028] The locking bar 30 is fixedly connected to the actuating member 20. Specifically, the locking bar 30 is directly and fixedly connected to the passive member 22, and the forward and backward movement distance of the passive member 22 is equal to the forward and backward movement distance of the locking bar 30. The locking bar 30 may be integrally molded with the passive member 22, or may be molded separately by a method such as fitting or secondary overmolding.

[0029] The inner end of the lock bar 30 is located within the housing 10 , and the outer end of the lock bar 30 passes through an opening in the front end of the housing 10 and extends to the front end of the housing 10 .

[0030] The locking bar 30 may be in a loose or locked position, as shown in FIG. 4 and in FIG. 5, respectively.

[0031] When the locking bar 30 is in the relaxed position, it is accommodated in the accommodation groove 41, allowing the pin 40 to be smoothly inserted into and removed from the socket. When the locking bar 30 is in the locked position, the locking bar 30 is pushed out by the guide portion 51 and at least partially protrudes from the opening surface 411, and the protruding portion is locked with the socket by friction. Preferably, the protruding portion protrudes from the opening surface 411 by a distance greater than 1 mm. Preferably, the surface 301 of the locking bar 30 is parallel to the opening surface 411, and more preferably, the surface 301 is flush with the opening surface 411. This minimizes the stroke during the protruding process of the locking bar 30 and does not hinder the insertion and removal of the pin 40 into and from the socket. Alternatively, the surface 301 is lower than the opening surface 411.

[0032] The electrical plug 100 can be used in conjunction with a universal outlet, and the outlet does not need to have a specific structure, improving the versatility of the electrical plug 100 and the reliability of the connection.

[0033] The locking bar 30 can be moved between a loosened position and a locked position by driving the actuating member 20. In this embodiment, the locking bar 30 is loosened when moved to the front end, and locked when moved to the rear end.

[0034] As the locking bar 30 moves from the loosened position to the locked position, it acts on the guide portion 51, and when it passes through the guide portion 51, it is pushed out from the opening surface 411 and at the same time, the locking bar 30 is slightly tilted. As the locking bar 30 moves from the locked position to the loosened position, it is guided by the guide portion 52 to move to the loosened position.

[0035] In this embodiment, the guide portion 51 is part of the pin 40 and is located on the outside of the housing 10, specifically at the bottom of the receiving groove 41, corresponding to the rear surface 303 of the locking bar 30. In this way, the distance between the guide portion 51 and the friction locking point (the protruding portion of the locking bar 30) is small, allowing the guide portion 51 to more directly provide support to the protruding portion of the locking bar 30, thereby maximizing the friction force of the locking point and improving the locking effect. In other embodiments, the guide portion 51 may be provided on the housing 10.

[0036] The guide portion 52 may be located on the housing 10 or on the pin 40 .

[0037] The guide portion 51 has a first guide slope 511, and the locking bar 30 has a second guide slope 31 corresponding to the first guide slope 511. As the locking bar 30 moves, the second guide slope 31 gradually acts on the first guide slope 511, causing the locking bar 30 to gradually protrude from the opening surface 411. When the locking bar 30 is in the locked position, the second guide slope 31 acts on the first guide slope 511, ultimately causing the locking bar 30 to protrude to its maximum extent from the opening surface 411.

[0038] The first guide slope 511 and the second guide slope 31 are gradually inclined from front to rear toward the opening surface 411.

[0039] The locking bar 30 includes a thinned portion 32, and when the locking bar 30 is in the locked position, the guide portion 51 pushes the locking bar 30 up, causing the locking bar 30 to bend at the thinned portion 32, so that the locking bar 30 partially protrudes from the opening surface 411, and when the locking bar 30 is in the relaxed position, the thinned portion 32 automatically returns to its original shape.

[0040] Specifically, a groove 33 is recessed into the surface (rear surface 303) of the lock bar 30 facing the guide portion 51, the portion of the lock bar 30 corresponding to the bottom surface of the groove 33 is the thinned portion 32, and the front side surface of the groove 33 is the second guide slope 31. The provision of the groove 33 not only makes it easier to form the thinned portion 32, but also the second guide slope 31. When the lock bar 30 is in the locked position, the front end of the lock bar 30 rises and protrudes from the opening surface 411.

[0041] The locking bar 30 includes a thickened portion 35 located at the rear end of the groove 33. The thickened portion 35 is thicker than the thinned portion 32. As the locking bar 30 moves forward from the locked state to the relaxed state, the thickened portion 35 can provide the thinned portion 32 with a stronger and more stable forward thrust, which is beneficial to the retraction and recovery of the end of the locking bar 30.

[0042] The guide portion 51 is a protruding block that protrudes toward the opening surface 411, and when the lock bar 30 is in a loose state, the guide portion 51 is accommodated in the recessed groove 33.

[0043] In this embodiment, the guide portion 52 is located on the housing 10. Of course, in other embodiments, the guide portion 52 may be located on the pin 40.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 5, the guide portion 52 has a first guide surface 521, and the locking bar 30 has a second guide surface 34 corresponding to the first guide surface 521, and the locking bar 30 moves from the locked position to the loosened position through cooperation between the first guide surface 521 and the second guide surface 34.

[0045] Accordingly, the inclination direction of the first guide surface 521 and the second guide surface 34 may be the same as the inclination direction of the first guide slope 511, and the inclination angle may also be the same.

[0046] Guide portion 52 faces surface 301 of lock bar 30 and is provided on the opposite side to guide portion 51. Guide portion 52 also functions as a position limiting portion; when lock bar 30 protrudes to a certain extent, surface 301 of lock bar 30 comes into contact with guide portion 52, and as lock bar 30 continues to protrude, guide portion 52 limits the protrusion of lock bar 30, causing lock bar 30 to tilt with guide portion 52 as a fulcrum.

[0047] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

[Claim 1] Housing and a pin adapted to be inserted into a corresponding receptacle of the outlet to establish an electrical connection, the pin being fixed to the housing and having a receiving groove, one side of which forms an opening of the receiving groove; A guide portion; a movable lock bar that is in a loosened position or a locked position, and that is accommodated in the accommodation groove when in the loosened position, and that is pushed out by the guide portion and at least partially protrudes from the opening surface when in the locked position; an actuating member connected to the locking bar, driving the locking bar to move, and holding the locking bar in the locked position by frictionally locking a protruding portion of the locking bar within the receptacle; the guide portion is a part of the pin, is located outside the housing, and has a first guide slope; the lock bar has a second guide slope corresponding to the first guide slope; when the lock bar is in the locked position, the second guide slope is acted upon by the first guide slope to cause the lock bar to at least partially protrude from the opening surface; the locking bar includes a thinned portion, and when the locking bar is in the locked position, the guide portion acts on the locking bar to bend the thinned portion; a groove is recessed in a surface of the lock bar facing the guide portion, the thinned portion corresponds to the position of the groove, a front inner surface of the groove is the second guide slope, and the lock bar includes a thickened portion located at a rear end of the groove; A general-purpose electrical plug.

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