DC Socket Protective Door with Rotating Bracket Locking

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

The design of protective doors for direct current sockets poses challenges due to the unique arrangement of plug holes and internal structure, which are different from alternating current sockets, leading to poor protective performance and safety concerns.

Innovation Solution

A protective door device with a rotating bracket and sliding blocks that act as barriers between plug holes and electrode contacts, utilizing limiting ribs to prevent foreign objects from contacting the electrode contacts, and elastic members for returning to a protective position.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a protective door is designed for direct current socket with unique plug hole arrangement, then the socket can provide power supply and charging functions, but the protective performance deteriorates due to structural differences from alternating current sockets

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotective performanceVSAvoidinternal structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The protective door is divided into two independent door bodies, each corresponding to a plug hole. Each door body can move independently between locked and unlocked states, allowing the structure to handle the unique DC socket configuration while maintaining protection. The rotating bracket is segmented to accommodate both plug holes with different orientations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The protective door uses a dynamic rotating bracket mechanism that can rotate between locked and unlocked positions based on plug insertion. The door bodies dynamically transition between blocking and non-blocking states, adapting to the insertion of plugs or foreign objects into the plug holes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If sliding blocks are allowed to slide freely to expose electrode contacts for normal operation, then power connection is enabled, but foreign objects can contact electrode contacts causing safety hazards

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower connection capabilityVSAvoidforeign object contact hazard
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The rotating bracket acts as an intermediary mechanism between the door bodies and the plug insertion action. When a plug is inserted, the rotating bracket mediates the force transmission to unlock the door bodies, allowing controlled exposure of electrode contacts. When only a foreign object is inserted, the bracket rotates to a position that maintains door body blocking of the electrode contacts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The limiting ribs provide preliminary anti-action by preventing the door bodies from sliding too far toward the electrode contacts. The limiting ribs are positioned to block the sliding path before the door bodies can expose the electrode contacts to foreign objects, while still allowing sufficient movement for legitimate plug insertion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

3Reliability

If limiting assemblies are added to prevent door sliding beyond safe position, then safety against foreign object contact is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety protectionVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The limiting assemblies are merged with the housing structure, where limiting ribs are integrated into the housing walls. This combining approach provides the safety limiting function without adding separate, independent components, thereby minimizing the increase in device complexity while maintaining enhanced safety protection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enhances safety by preventing foreign objects from contacting electrode contacts, ensuring secure power connections and improved protection for direct current sockets.

Implementation Method 1

an elastic member arranged on a side of the sliding block away from the abutment slope and adapted to provide an elastic force to the sliding block for returning to the protective position

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic force: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP4693757A1Protective door device for socket and socket
Publication Date: 2026.02.11 SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC IND SAS
  • EP4693757A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4693757A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4693757A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A protective door device for a socket and a socket are provided. The protective door device includes: a housing; a rotating bracket arranged in the housing and including two end portions respectively corresponding to two plug holes of the socket, the rotating bracket being adapted to rotate from a release position to one of two locking positions in a rotation direction during insertion of an object into a single-sided plug hole of the two plug holes; a pair of protective door assemblies respectively arranged at the two end portions of the rotating bracket, each protective door assembly including: a sliding block slidably coupled to the rotating bracket and being adapted to slide from a protective position to an avoidance position when the rotating bracket is in the release position; and a pair of limiting assemblies arranged adjacent to a pair of sliding blocks of the protective door assemblies, respectively.