Socket Protective Door Mechanism for Dust Resistance and Flat Profile
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sockets with protective doors are aesthetically unpleasing and prone to dust accumulation, and the movement of their protective doors can hinder the insertion of plugs due to inwardly-recessed depressions and dust accumulation, leading to potential safety issues and poor conductive contact.
Innovation Solution
A socket design featuring individual protective door movable members with distinct guide structures that allow for a composite movement including translation and rotation, ensuring the doors lie flat and open the insertion holes without obstructing the plug's path, while a return spring mechanism ensures the doors close securely, preventing dust accumulation and enhancing safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the protective door uses an inclined surface to convert insertion motion into lateral movement, then the protective door can open to allow plug insertion, but the insertion holes form inwardly-recessed depressions that are aesthetically unpleasing and prone to dust accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The protective door movable member undergoes both lateral movement (parallel to socket panel) and axial movement (perpendicular to socket panel) simultaneously. This two-dimensional movement trajectory changes the door's position from a recessed state to a lateral opening state, eliminating the inwardly-recessed depression while maintaining the protective door opening function.
2Ease of operation
If the protective door movable member moves laterally to open the insertion hole, then the plug can be inserted, but the movable member occupies axial space that hinders plug insertion
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving purely laterally (one dimension), the protective door movable member combines lateral movement with axial movement (two dimensions). The axial movement component allows the door to retreat slightly, reducing the axial space occupied during opening, while the lateral movement component ensures the door clears the plug insertion path.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective door movable member transitions from a static blocked position to a dynamic opening position through guided movement. The guide structures enable the door to adapt its position dynamically during plug insertion, moving laterally to clear the path and axially to reduce space occupation, thereby ensuring smooth plug insertion.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the protective door closes the insertion hole when not in use, then safety is improved by preventing foreign matter insertion, but the door mechanism adds structural complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The protective door mechanism is segmented into independent movable members, each associated with a specific insertion hole. Each movable member includes a protective door, guide structures, and return spring, forming a modular unit. This segmentation allows the safety function to be achieved through simple, replicated components rather than a complex integrated mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective door movable member is designed to close the insertion hole automatically when not in use and open only when a plug is inserted. The return spring provides self-returning force to close the door, and the guide structures provide self-guidance for the opening motion, eliminating the need for additional control mechanisms and reducing overall structural complexity.
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
The design provides a safe, reliable, and aesthetically pleasing socket with improved dust resistance and easy cleaning, ensuring smooth plug insertion and secure electrical connections by minimizing the axial space occupied by the protective doors and preventing dual insertion with a single pin.
Implementation Method 1
a return spring mechanism ensures the doors close securely
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a socket, comprising: a seat body including two insertion holes allowing two pins of a plug to insert respectively; wherein, an individual protective door movable member is disposed for each of the insertion holes in the seat body, the protective door movable member is configured in a way that when no pin of a plug is inserted into the insertion holes, the protective door movable members close corresponding insertion holes, and when the pins of the plug are inserted into the insertion holes, the protective door movable members are driven to move along a defined trajectory to open the corresponding insertion holes to allow the pins of the plug to extend into the insertion holes, and wherein movement of the protective door movable members along the defined trajectory makes the movement trajectory of at least a portion of the protective door movable members different from the movement trajectory of another portion of the protective door movable members. The socket according to the present invention has a flat and pleasant appearance and occupies little internal space of the socket.