Compact Travel Adapter Segmented Housing and Translation Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing travel plug adapters are often cumbersome, difficult to operate one-handedly, and require precise manufacturing to ensure reliable engagement of different mains plug types, limiting their portability and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A travel plug adapter with a modular design featuring a detachable housing, actuating slides, and a translation unit that allows for the movement of contact pins over a greater distance than the plug itself, enabling easy switching between multiple plug standards and incorporating a locking mechanism for secure positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a round housing is used to accommodate multiple power plug types, then the adapter can accommodate various plug standards, but the housing shape limits transport convenience and the mechanical twisting requires precise manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter is divided into a stationary lower housing and a rotatable upper housing section. The lower housing contains the receptacle and remains fixed, while the upper housing section with the actuating slider can be rotated independently to select different plug types. This segmentation eliminates the need for the entire housing to be round and rotatable, improving manufacturing precision and transport convenience while maintaining multi-standard compatibility.
2Reliability
If a spring-loaded locking plate with cam profile is used to lock pin sets in end positions, then the pin sets can be held firmly, but the selector lever must be operated during movement and the controls do not move freely
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded locking plate and cam profile mechanism is completely removed from the adapter design. Instead, a simple detent mechanism with detent balls and corresponding detent grooves is used. This extraction of the complex locking mechanism eliminates the need for a selector lever during movement and allows the actuating slider to move freely along its guide rail, while still providing reliable locking in the extended position through the detent engagement.
3Length of moving object
If the length of sliding slots determines the distance a pin set is advanced, then the pin sets can be moved to working position, but the mechanism requires the selector lever to be operated and restricts control movement
Solution Approach 1:
A translator mechanism is introduced as an intermediary between the actuating slider and the contact pins. The translator converts the linear movement of the actuating slider along a short guide rail into the extended linear movement of the contact pins. This allows the actuating slider to move freely without being constrained by long sliding slots, while still achieving the necessary advancement distance of the contact pins to the working position.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a travel adapter, which is hereinafter also referred to as a travel adapter. With the aid of such an adapter, mains plugs of a specific (domestic) standard can be plugged into the sockets available at the travel destination. More precisely, it relates to a travel adapter (10) which has a housing with inner walls, outer walls and a base surface, and which further has a plug receptacle (16) and at least one first plug of a first standard, which has at least one first contact pin (34), wherein the first plug can be moved from a ready position, in which the plug is substantially inside the housing, to a usable position, in which the plug is usable outside the housing, by sliding it along a first path, characterized in thatthat a contact surface is provided in the housing and the plug is connected to at least one actuating element (56) which, when the plug is moved from the ready position to the operating position, at least temporarily comes into contact with the contact surface (70) and which is connected to a translation unit such that the translation unit moves the at least one contact pin over a second distance which is greater than the first distance.