Self-Locking Safety Plug and Socket for Secure Electrical Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Plugs are prone to fall off or loosen from sockets due to external interference, leading to safety hazards such as poor contact, overheating, and exposed electrodes, and improper use during insertion and removal poses additional risks.
Innovation Solution
A set of safety plugs and sockets featuring self-locking mechanisms, including self-locking columns, rotating tubes, and spring-loaded protective doors, ensure secure connections and prevent electrode exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional plug and socket connection is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the plug is easy to fall off or loosen under external forces, causing safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is divided into multiple components: outer plug body, inner plug body, self-locking column, rotating tube, and protective door. Each component performs a specific function, with the self-locking column providing locking force and the protective door covering the electrodes, thereby improving connection stability while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through modular assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The self-locking column is pre-positioned within the inner plug body, and the protective door is pre-installed on the outer plug body. When the plug is inserted into the socket, these components automatically engage to provide locking and protection without requiring additional user actions, ensuring reliable connection from the outset
2Reliability
If a self-locking mechanism is added to prevent plug disconnection, then connection stability improves, but the device complexity increases with multiple moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The self-locking column is integrated within the inner plug body, and the rotating tube combines the functions of electrode rotation and self-locking head actuation. The protective door is integrated with the outer plug body, merging multiple functions into fewer components to reduce overall complexity while maintaining anti-loosening capability
Solution Approach 2:
The self-locking column automatically engages with the socket's limiting groove to provide locking without additional mechanisms. The rotating tube automatically rotates to align electrodes and actuate the self-locking head when the plug is inserted, eliminating the need for separate locking actuators or complex control systems
3Object-affected harmful factors
If protective doors are added to prevent electrode exposure, then safety improves, but the ease of operation during insertion and removal decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective door is designed to be dynamic rather than fixed: it automatically opens when the plug is inserted into the socket and automatically closes when the plug is removed. This dynamic behavior maintains safety by covering electrodes during storage and transport while facilitating easy operation during use without requiring manual intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The protective door is pre-positioned to cover the electrodes when the plug is not in use. During insertion, the plug's movement automatically actuates the door to open, and during removal, the door automatically returns to the closed position, eliminating the need for users to manually operate the door and maintaining both safety and ease of use
Data Source
AI summary
A set of safety plugs and safety socket includes a two-pin plug, a three-pin plug, and a safety socket. The two-pin plug includes two two-pin plug outer plug bodies movably connected with each other. A two-pin plug self-locking column is movably connected with the two-pin plug outer plug bodies. A two-pin plug self-locking column sling groove and a hole accommodating a fastening nut are defined in the two-pin plug outer plug bodies. When a two-pin plug rotating tube is rotated counterclockwise, two-pin plug electrodes are pulled out of socket power supply sleeves, and the two-pin plug electrodes are retracted into an inner cavity of the two-pin plug. The two-pin plug rotating tube is continuously rotated to unlock the two-pin plug self-locking head, so the two-pin plug is separated from the safety socket. A use method of the three-pin plug is similar to that of the two-pin plug.