Waterproof Socket With Automatic Seal Doors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing waterproof sockets lack comprehensive protection against water and moisture ingress from all sides, leading to potential short circuits and safety hazards, especially in humid environments like bathrooms and kitchens.
Innovation Solution
A waterproof socket design featuring a socket panel, retention frame, and socket base with embedded conducting sheets, upper and lower seal doors, swing rods, a torsion spring, and sealing sheets, which automatically seal insertion holes when not in use and provide dual protection during plug insertion, ensuring water-tightness even when submerged.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a waterproof cover is mounted at the socket to prevent water entry, then waterproof protection is improved, but the device complexity increases and the socket cannot be used when the cover is forgotten
Solution Approach 1:
The socket automatically detects plug insertion and activates seal doors without requiring user operation. The system serves itself by using the plug's insertion action to trigger the sealing mechanism, eliminating the need for manual cover opening/closing operations
Solution Approach 2:
The seal doors are pre-positioned to cover the insertion holes before plug insertion. The waterproofing action is performed in advance, with the seal doors already in place to prevent water entry, and they automatically open only when needed
2Reliability
If a waterproof cover is used to seal the socket, then waterproof effect is improved, but the socket lacks waterproof protection from sides and bottom
Solution Approach 1:
The waterproofing function is divided into multiple independent seal doors, each responsible for sealing a specific insertion hole. This segmentation allows comprehensive coverage of all potential water entry points (front, sides, bottom) through distributed sealing elements rather than a single cover
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing mechanism extends from a single-plane cover to a three-dimensional arrangement of seal doors positioned around multiple insertion holes. The seal doors are distributed in different spatial dimensions to block water entry from all directions, not just the front
3Ease of operation
If seal doors are made movable to open when plug is inserted, then ease of operation is improved, but the reliability of waterproof seal is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the plug insertion action itself as feedback to trigger the seal door opening. The mechanical interaction between the plug and seal door creates a feedback loop where the user's action automatically activates the corresponding sealing mechanism, ensuring opening only when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The plug acts as an intermediary that transfers force from the user to the seal door mechanism. The plug's insertion motion is converted into the opening motion of the seal doors, providing a reliable mechanical coupling that ensures seal integrity while enabling automatic operation
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 effectively prevents water and moisture from entering the socket, ensuring safety by maintaining a water-tight seal both when the socket is unused and when in use, with the ability to accommodate various wire thicknesses and adapt to different electrical systems.
Implementation Method 1
A torsion spring is arranged for driving the main body to rotate and restore position and is provided between a bottom part of the main body and the accommodating groove of the inner core fixing base
Implementation Method 2
Two upper seal doors are capable of sealing the upper insertion holes in the retention frame and are formed on two sides above the main body
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A waterproof socket comprises a panel (2), a retention frame (5), and a socket base (11). An inner core fixing base (8) is disposed between the fixing frame and the base. Lower insertion holes (803) coaxial with an output terminal (901) are formed in the inner core fixing base. An accommodating groove (801) is formed between the two lower insertion holes. A waterproof inner core (6) is disposed in the accommodating groove. The waterproof inner core comprises a main body (606) movably inserted in the accommodating groove. Two upper seal doors (602) capable of sealing upper insertion holes (502) in the fixing frame are disposed on two sides above the main body, and two swing rods (603) are symmetrically disposed below the upper seal doors. One end of each of the swing rods is hinged to the main body, and the other end of the swing rod is provided with a lower seal door (604) capable of sealing a lower insertion hole in the inner core fixing base. A rotation and guide apparatus is disposed between the inner core fixing base and the waterproof inner core. The waterproof socket can be waterproof stereoscopically in an overall manner when a plug is not inserted or the plug is connected to the socket, so that the waterproof socket is safe in use, and has a simple structure and a good waterproof effect.