Compact Travel Plug Adapter With Nested Plugs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing travel plug adapters are not compact, inconvenient to operate, and lack design flexibility due to their round shape and complex mechanisms, which hinder one-handed operation and result in a bulky design.
Innovation Solution
A travel plug adapter with a housing that can be designed in various shapes, including a cuboid form, featuring a detachable two-part structure with a screw connection, and a mechanism allowing plugs of different standards to be easily swapped without the need for external controls, ensuring compactness and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a round housing shape is used to accommodate multiple power plug elements, then the adapter can house various plug types, but the housing becomes bulky and not compact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nesting by placing one plug type inside the housing and allowing another plug type to be inserted into the first plug. Specifically, a Schuko plug can be inserted into a universal plug, or a European plug can be inserted into a universal plug, creating a nested configuration that accommodates multiple plug standards within a compact single-hole adapter design
2Adaptability or versatility
If external controls and locking mechanisms are added to move and secure pin sets, then the adapter can switch between different plug configurations, but the device complexity increases and one-handed operation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a spring-loaded mechanism that automatically pushes the inner plug (with its contact pins) into the outer plug when the inner plug is inserted. The spring force eliminates the need for manual controls, buttons, or locking mechanisms - the system self-activates through the simple act of insertion, enabling easy one-handed operation while maintaining configurability
3Ease of operation
If the housing is designed with a fixed shape like a Schuko plug, then the adapter can provide a ready position, but the design freedom and compactness are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic adapter system where the inner plug can be inserted and removed from the outer plug, allowing the configuration to change from a single-plug state to a nested dual-plug state. This dynamic capability provides the ready position functionality when needed while maintaining design flexibility and compactness when the inner plug is not inserted, as the adapter then presents only the outer plug's configuration
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a travel plug adapter, which is also referred to here in short as an adapter. With the aid of such an adapter, mains plugs of a defined (domestic) standard can be plugged into the sockets that are present at the travel destination. In particular, this is a travel plug adapter (10) which has a housing, a plug holder (16) and at least one first plug (34) of a first standard and a second plug (36) of a second standard, wherein each plug is assigned an actuating slider (22, 24, 26), which is led outside through a sliding slot (42) in the housing and is designed to displace the plug between a readiness position, in which the plug is located substantially within the housing, and a use position, in which the plug is located outside the housing so that it can be used, wherein the first plug comprises a plug body and a first and a second contact pin, wherein, in the use position, both the plug body and the first and the second contact pin are arranged outside the housing such that they can be used and, in the readiness position, both the plug body and the first and the second contact pin are located in the housing, wherein the second plug comprises a third and a fourth contact pin and the third and the fourth contact pin are likewise guided in the plug body of the first plug.