AC Adapter Power Module With Retractable Plug Frame
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
AC adapters often lack a mechanism to store the plug inserted into an electrical outlet, leading to inconvenience and potential safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A power supply module with a retractable plug design, comprising a pair of narrow metal plates connected by an electrically insulating mechanism, allowing the plug to be rotated and stored within a frame, ensuring secure insertion and extraction from an electrical outlet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the plug is made retractable and stored in a frame, then safety and convenience are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is nested within the frame structure, allowing it to be stored inside the housing when not in use. The connecting part rotates to retract the plug into the frame, effectively hiding the potentially hazardous exposed plug and improving safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug assembly is made dynamic through the rotatable connecting part, allowing it to switch between protruding and retracted states. This dynamic mechanism enables the plug to be easily accessed when needed while automatically improving safety when stored.
2Ease of operation
If the connecting part is made rotatable to enable plug storage, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The plug assembly is segmented into separate components: the plug body, the rotatable connecting part, and the frame. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently using standard processes, reducing overall manufacturing complexity despite the added functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable connecting part introduces a simple mechanical degree of freedom that enables easy plug storage and retrieval. This dynamic element is designed with straightforward rotation capability that can be manufactured using conventional machining or molding techniques.
3Volume of moving object
If the electrodes are positioned along the plug during storage, then space utilization is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The electrodes are positioned to lie along the length of the plug when stored, creating a compact nested arrangement. This maximizes space utilization within the frame while the bending interfaces provide natural positioning points that reduce the need for high-precision manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrodes have different spatial arrangements in different states: along the plug during storage for compactness, and separated during operation for electrical function. This local quality variation optimizes both storage density and operational performance.
Data Source
AI summary
In order to reduce the cost of producing AC adapters of a plurality of models, an AC adapter product group is constituted by AC adapters of a plurality of models. An AC adapter of each model includes a power supply module including a plug (11), a pair of electrodes (12) configured to be electrically communicated with the plug (11), and an internal frame (second frame 132) that attaches the plug (11) and the pair of electrodes (12) to a housing (20) and includes the housing (20). The power supply module is common to the plurality of models. The housing (20) is unique to each of the plurality of models.