CN112768999A

CN112768999A - Foldable plug assembly and device comprising the same

Info

Publication number: CN112768999A
Application number: CN202011519842.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 童水波
Original assignee: Anker Innovations Co Ltd
Current assignee: Anker Innovations Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-12-21
Filing date: 2020-12-21
Publication date: 2021-05-07

Abstract

The present invention provides a foldable plug assembly and a device including the same, comprising: at least two pins arranged at intervals; the plug pin fixing device comprises a shell, wherein an accommodating space is formed in the shell, a support for fixing plug pins is arranged in the accommodating space, and at least two plug pins are rotatably fixed on the support through rotating shafts; the first locking piece is movably arranged in the accommodating space and is used for limiting the rotating shaft to rotate to open the plug pins when the plug pins are in a folded state; a second locking member movably disposed in the accommodating space, the second locking member being coupled to the device body when the foldable plug assembly is mounted to the device body and the prongs are in an open state, so that the foldable plug assembly and the device body cannot be separated; the pin receiving groove is arranged on the shell, and when the pin is in a folded state, the pin is received in the pin receiving groove. The foldable plug assembly is higher in safety and reliability.

Description

Foldable plug assembly and device comprising the same

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of electronic product accessories, in particular to a foldable plug assembly and a device comprising the same.

Background

The charger product is more popular and the class is various at present, the plug design and the requirement of most of the medium and small American-Japanese standards are similar, and most of the plug design is the folding design of area, can fold according to the in service behavior and open or pack up the base pin, convenient storage, simultaneously for the plug demand that adapts to different specification requirements of the world, the user can freely replace the design scheme of plug as required, consequently make the folding plug obtain application on a relatively large scale again, the also wide application of interchangeable folding plug under this background, but restricted by the ann rule, make almost all volume that can dismantle folding plug all bigger, and restrict the design of product outward appearance, under the condition of not being connected with the main part, single plug can insert the switch-on forceful electric current equally, and the security is also relatively poor.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a novel foldable plug assembly and a device including the same to solve the above-mentioned problems.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides, in one aspect, a foldable plug assembly comprising:

at least two pins arranged at intervals;

the plug pin fixing device comprises a shell, wherein an accommodating space is formed in the shell, a support for fixing plug pins is arranged in the accommodating space, and the at least two plug pins are rotatably fixed on the support through rotating shafts;

the first locking piece is movably arranged in the accommodating space and is used for limiting the rotating shaft to rotate to open the plug pin when the plug pin is in a folded state;

a second locking member movably disposed in the accommodating space, the second locking member being coupled to the device body such that the foldable plug assembly and the device body cannot be separated from each other when the foldable plug assembly is mounted to the device body and the prongs are in an open state;

and the pin receiving grooves are formed in the shell, and the pins are received in the pin receiving grooves when the pins are folded.

Alternatively, the second locking member is disposed below the rotating shaft, and the second locking member is movable up and down.

Optionally, a mounting seat is arranged at the bottom of the housing in the accommodating space of the housing, a vertical through hole penetrating through the bottom of the housing is formed in the mounting seat, and part of the second locking piece is arranged in the vertical through hole.

Optionally, the second locking member includes a second detent structure that connects the device body such that the foldable plug assembly and the device body cannot be separated when the foldable plug assembly is mounted to the device body and the prongs are in the open state.

Optionally, the second locking member further comprises a second reset structure for resetting the second detent structure to disengage the second detent structure from the device body.

Optionally, the second locking structure includes a first end portion and a second end portion, wherein the width of the first end portion is greater than the width of the second end portion, and one end of the second resetting structure abuts against the first end portion, and the other end abuts against the housing.

Optionally, be in the accommodation space of casing the casing bottom is provided with the mount pad, have in the mount pad and run through the vertical through-hole of casing bottom, part the second locking piece sets up in the vertical through-hole, have the stair structure in the vertical through-hole, the other end of second reduction structure supports the stair structure.

Optionally, the pivot shaft is a cam structure that engages the second locking member to connect the second locking member to the device body when the foldable plug assembly is mounted to the device body and the prongs are opened.

Optionally, a limiting member is further disposed on the rotating shaft for limiting the rotation of the rotating shaft.

Optionally, the stopper includes a concave structure provided on the rotation shaft.

Optionally, the first locking element includes a first detent structure, and the first detent structure abuts against the limiting element to limit the rotation of the rotating shaft.

Optionally, the first locking member includes a first locking structure movably disposed in the accommodating space for limiting the pivot shaft to pivot open the prongs when the foldable plug assembly is not mounted to the device body and the prongs are in the folded state.

Optionally, the first locking member further comprises a first reset structure for resetting the first detent structure.

Optionally, the free end of the first resetting structure is connected to the first clamping structure, and the fixed end of the first resetting structure abuts against the housing.

Optionally, first reset structure includes reset spring, wherein, first screens structural connection the one end of first reset structure has the bulge, reset spring's free end is connected the bulge, perhaps, first screens structural connection the one end of first reset structure is provided with the recess, reset spring's free end stretches into the recess.

Optionally, a mounting assembly, disposed on the housing, for detachably mounting the foldable plug assembly to the device body.

Optionally, the mounting assembly includes a power transfer assembly electrically connected to the pins and electrically connected to a power input interface of the device body when mounted thereto.

Optionally, the side wall of the housing is further provided with a mounting hole, and when the foldable plug assembly is detachably mounted to the device body, the unlocking structure on the device body inserts and unlocks the first locking member from the mounting hole, so as to release the limitation on the rotating shaft.

Optionally, the first locking member includes a first detent structure, and a portion of the first detent structure extends into the mounting hole, or the first detent structure is opposite to and outside the mounting hole.

In yet another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus including a foldable plug assembly, the apparatus comprising:

the foregoing foldable plug assembly;

the device main part, the device main part with collapsible plug subassembly detachable installation, wherein, the device main part includes unlocking structure, when collapsible plug subassembly assembles the device main part, unlocking structure is used for unblock first locking piece to make participating in rotatable opening and folding the packing up.

Optionally, when the device body is connected with the foldable plug assembly, the unlocking structure passes through the mounting hole on the foldable plug assembly and abuts against the first locking piece of the foldable plug assembly so as to unlock the first locking piece, and the pins can be rotatably unfolded and folded for storage.

Optionally, a fixing position matched with the second locking piece of the foldable plug assembly is further arranged on the device main body, and when the pins are opened, the second locking piece extends into the fixing position to be connected with the device main body, so that the foldable plug assembly and the device main body cannot be separated.

Optionally, the fixing position is a groove arranged at the bottom of the device body.

The foldable plug assembly in the embodiment of the invention comprises a first locking piece, when the plug pin is in a folded state, the rotating shaft is limited to rotate to open the plug pin, so that the plug pin is in the folded state, the plug pin cannot be opened under the condition of non-violent damage, and the plug pin cannot be normally inserted into a strong electric appliance, so that the safety and the reliability are higher. In addition, the foldable plug assembly also comprises a second locking piece which is movably arranged in the accommodating space, when the foldable plug assembly is installed on the device main body and the plug pins are in an opening state, the second locking piece is connected with the device main body, so that the foldable plug assembly and the device main body cannot be separated, the connection firmness of the foldable plug assembly and the device main body is ensured, the foldable plug assembly can be separated after being folded, and meanwhile, the first locking piece in the separation state is effectively locked.

The device comprising the foldable plug assembly in the embodiment of the invention comprises the foldable plug assembly and a device body, wherein the device body is detachably installed with the foldable plug assembly, the device body comprises an unlocking structure, when the foldable plug assembly is assembled into the device body, the unlocking structure is used for unlocking a first locking piece to release the limitation on a rotating shaft so as to ensure the normal use of the device, meanwhile, when the foldable plug assembly is installed to the device body and the pins are in an opening state, a second locking piece of the foldable plug assembly is connected with the device body so that the foldable plug assembly and the device body cannot be separated and the connection firmness of the foldable plug assembly and the device body is ensured, when the pins are in the opening state, the plug assembly cannot be separated from the device body, the pins must be folded to retract the pins so as to reset the second locking piece, the plug assembly can be separated from the device body only when the plug assembly is not connected with the device body any more; after the foldable plug assembly is separated from the device main body, the pins are in a folding locking state, and the first locking piece locks the pins, so that the folding pins cannot be opened under normal operation and cannot be normally inserted into and connected with strong electricity for use, and the safety and the reliability are higher.

Drawings

The following drawings of the invention are included to provide a further understanding of the invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of the prongs of a foldable plug assembly in a folded state, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of the prongs of a foldable plug assembly in an embodiment of the present invention in an open state;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of a foldable plug assembly in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an enlarged schematic view of the prongs of a foldable plug assembly in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of a foldable plug assembly in one embodiment of the present invention, when not mounted to a device body;

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a foldable plug assembly in one embodiment of the invention, when not mounted to a device body;

FIG. 7 illustrates a partial top view of an apparatus including a foldable plug assembly in one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a device including a foldable plug assembly with prongs in a folded state, in one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a device including a foldable plug assembly with prongs in an open state, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a foldable plug assembly and a device body in a separated state, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 illustrates a perspective view of a foldable plug assembly and a device body in a separated state, in one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in order to avoid obscuring the invention.

It is to be understood that the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the size and relative sizes of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "adjacent to," "connected to," or "coupled to" other elements or layers, it can be directly on, adjacent to, connected or coupled to the other elements or layers or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly adjacent to," "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" other elements or layers, there are no intervening elements or layers present. It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

Spatial relational terms such as "under," "below," "under," "above," "over," and the like may be used herein for convenience in describing the relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, then elements or features described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary terms "under" and "under" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatial descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of the associated listed items.

In order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention, a detailed structure will be set forth in the following description in order to explain the present invention. The following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, however, the invention is capable of other embodiments in addition to those detailed.

In order to solve the technical problems of large volume, poor safety and the like of the existing foldable plug, the invention provides a foldable plug assembly, which comprises:

at least two pins arranged at intervals;

The foldable plug assembly and the device including the foldable plug assembly of the present invention will be explained and explained with reference to fig. 1 to 11.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a foldable plug assembly comprises: the shell, form the accommodation space in the casing. In the specific example shown in fig. 1, 2 and 3, the housing includes a front shell 101 and a bottom shell 108, and the front shell 101 has an accommodating space therein for accommodating various devices, such as a conductive elastic sheet, a first locking member, and the like.

The front shell 101 and the bottom shell 108 are engaged, and the bottom shell 108 covers the accommodating space in the front shell 101, so that the accommodating space is formed in the combined shell, wherein the front shell 101 and the bottom shell 108 can be engaged by any suitable means, such as a snap-fit manner, a tight-fit manner, a welding manner, or a screwing manner, and the like, wherein in this embodiment, the front shell 101 and the bottom shell 108 are engaged by the snap-fit manner to form a complete shell, and the combination between the two is firm, can be regarded as an integral non-detachable piece, and cannot find a relative displacement therebetween.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 3, the housing is provided with a pin receiving slot 103, and more specifically, the pin receiving slot 103 is provided on the face shell 101, and the pin is received in the pin receiving slot 103 when the pin is in a folded state. Wherein the size of the pin receiving groove 103 is matched with and larger than the size of the pin so as to receive the pin therein.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the foldable plug assembly includes at least two prongs 102 spaced apart from each other. The pins 102 may include pins complying with safety standards of various countries, for example, pins complying with safety standards of countries such as china, the united states, japan, the united kingdom, and the like. In the present embodiment, the foldable plug assembly of the present invention is mainly explained and illustrated by taking the structure of two pins 102 spaced apart from each other as an example, but it should be noted that the structure of the pins is not limited to the above structure, and other suitable structures are also possible.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 3, at least two pins 102 spaced apart from each other are connected by a rotation shaft 1041, and the pins 102 are rotated by the rotation of the rotation shaft. The rotation shaft 1041 is disposed at one end of the pin 102 for electrically connecting with the conductive elastic sheet, and is away from one end of the pin 102 for electrically connecting with a power supply.

In one example, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, a limiting member 1042 is further disposed on the rotation shaft 1041 for limiting the rotation of the rotation shaft 1041. Alternatively, the limiting member 1042 may include a concave structure disposed on the rotation shaft, for example, a concave structure disposed at the rotation shaft 1/4. In this embodiment, the case where the stopper 1042 has a recessed structure provided on the rotation shaft 1041 is mainly taken as an example.

In one example, as shown in fig. 4, the rotation shaft 1041 is a cam structure, the rotation shaft of the cam structure needs to have enough space under it during rotation, otherwise rotation cannot be realized, and in addition, when the foldable plug assembly is mounted to the device body and the pins are opened, the cam structure abuts against the second locking member, so that the second locking member is connected with the device body, and the foldable plug assembly and the device body cannot be separated. Optionally, the rotation axis 1041 of the cam structure includes a cam 1043 protruding outward in a radial direction of the rotation axis.

Participate in can rotate folding in the bottom surface vertical to parallel range with the drain pan, can rotate at 0 ~ 90 within range, can make through the rotation of participating in participate in the convenient and power electricity connection of bottom surface of perpendicular to drain pan when using, can fold when not using simultaneously and pack up, conveniently carries.

In one example, as shown in fig. 3, the first locking member includes a first detent structure 105, the first detent structure 105 is movably disposed in the receiving space of the housing, and further disposed on the bottom housing 108, for limiting the pivot shaft to pivot the prongs open when the foldable plug assembly is not mounted to the device body and the prongs are in the folded state.

For example, the first locking structure 105 can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotation shaft 1041, so that the first locking structure 105 is close to or away from the rotation shaft.

Illustratively, when the prongs are folded, the first locking structure 105 abuts against the stop 1042 to limit the rotation of the rotation shaft.

The first detent structure 105 may be disposed on the bottom shell 108 between the adjacent brackets 1082, and in order to limit the moving direction of the first locking member, a sliding slot (not shown) may be disposed on the bottom shell 108, and the first detent structure 105 is disposed in the sliding slot and moves along the length extension direction of the sliding slot. Optionally, a portion of the first detent structure 105 (e.g., the protrusion 1052) extends into the mounting hole 1083, or the first detent structure 105 is opposite to the mounting hole 1083 and is located outside the mounting hole 1083.

The first detent structure 105 may be formed in a suitable shape, such as a square column or the like, or other irregular shapes, as desired, but it is ensured that the surface of the first detent structure 105 contacting the bottom case is preferably formed in a flat surface in order to facilitate the movement of the first locking member.

In one example, as shown in fig. 3, one end of the top of the first locking structure 105 facing the rotation shaft is provided with a locking portion matching with the limiting member 1042 on the rotation shaft, and the locking portion can be inserted into the limiting member 1042 to limit the rotation of the rotation shaft.

In one example, as shown in fig. 3, the first locking member further comprises a first reset structure 106 for resetting the first detent structure 105, such as when the foldable plug assembly is detached from the device body, the first reset structure resets the first detent structure 105, such that the first detent structure 105 abuts against the limiting member 1042 to limit the rotation of the pivot shaft, thereby locking the prongs in the folded state and not being opened.

Optionally, the free end of the first resetting structure 106 is connected to the first latching structure 105, and the fixed end of the first resetting structure 106 abuts against the housing, for example, the front shell 101 or the bottom shell 108. Specifically, the fixed end abuts against the sidewall of the panel 101 or the sidewall of the bottom case 108 according to the actual structure of the two, if the panel 101 has a downwardly-suspended sidewall and the bottom case 108 is fastened to the bottom end of the sidewall, the fixed end of the first restoring structure 106 abuts against the sidewall of the panel 101, and if the bottom case has an upwardly-protruded sidewall and is fastened to the panel, the fixed end of the first restoring structure 106 may abut against the sidewall of the bottom case 108.

Illustratively, the first reset structure 106 includes a reset spring, wherein one end of the first detent structure 105 connected to the first reset structure has a protrusion, and a free end of the reset spring is connected to the protrusion, for example, the free end of the reset spring is sleeved on the protrusion, so as to connect the first reset structure 106 and the first detent structure 105. In one example, as shown in fig. 6, a recess 1053 is provided at an end of the first detent structure 105 connected to the first reduction structure 106, and the first reduction structure 106 extends into the recess 1053. The radial dimension of the groove 1053 is larger than that of the first reduction structure, and the cross-sectional shape of the groove may be circular, square, other polygonal shapes, etc. Alternatively, a projection may be provided in the groove, the axial length of which is less than the axial length of the groove 1053, so that the entire projection is located within the groove 1053, or a partial length of the projection may be located outside the groove 1053.

Illustratively, a fixing structure 1080 is disposed in the accommodating space in the housing, and the fixing structure 1080 is disposed in the accommodating space of the housing, and more specifically, disposed on the bottom shell 108, and may be fixed to the bottom shell 108 by any suitable means, such as bonding, welding, screwing, and the like.

A support 1082 for fixing the plug pins is disposed in the accommodating space, the at least two plug pins are rotatably fixed on the support 1082 through a rotation shaft 1041, in a specific example, as shown in fig. 3, a support 1082 for fixing the plug pins 102 is disposed on the bottom case 108, the at least two plug pins are fixed on the support 1082 through the rotation shaft 1041, wherein the support 1082 may be two supports 1082 disposed at intervals, and a top end of the support is disposed in a concave arc shape to match with the rotation shaft 1041. Wherein, after the rotating shaft 1041 is fixed on the support 1082, the pins 102 are respectively located at both sides of the support 1082. More specifically, the fixing structure 1080 is provided with a bracket 1082 for fixing the pins, and the fixing structure 1080 is provided on the bottom case 108, and the bracket is correspondingly provided on the bottom case 108. Alternatively, a cavity may be provided between two adjacent brackets 1082, which may expose the bottom of the housing, for example, a part of the surface of the bottom case. In one example, the first locking member moves between the two brackets 1082, and in particular, moves along the length extension of the brackets 1082.

Illustratively, the fixing structure 1080 is further provided with a spring fixing seat 1081 for fixing the conductive spring 107 to the bottom housing 108. Optionally, the spring fixing seat 1081 is disposed outside the bracket 1082.

In one example, as shown in fig. 3, the foldable plug assembly 100 further includes a second locking member 109 movably disposed in the receiving space of the housing, and when the foldable plug assembly is mounted to the device body and the pins are in the open state, the second locking member is connected to the device body, so that the foldable plug assembly and the device body cannot be separated, thereby ensuring the connection between the two.

In one example, as shown in fig. 3, a mounting seat 1084 is disposed at the bottom of the housing in the accommodating space of the housing, the mounting seat has a vertical through hole penetrating through the bottom of the housing, and a part of the second locking member 109 is disposed in the vertical through hole.

Illustratively, in the first locking member (e.g., an opening is provided in the first detent structure 105), the mounting seat is located in the opening, and the opening may be of such a length that it is not obstructed by the mounting seat during movement of the first locking member, or alternatively, a notch may be provided in the unlocking structure of the device body, in which the mounting seat is located when the foldable plug is mounted to the device body, and which does not obstruct the unlocking structure from unlocking the first locking member.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 6, the second locking member 109 is disposed below the rotation shaft 1041, and the second locking member 109 is movable up and down (i.e., in a vertical direction), for example, in the direction of a vertical arrow in the drawing.

In one specific example, as shown in fig. 3 and 6, the second locking member 109 includes a second detent structure 1091, and when the foldable plug assembly is mounted to the device body and the prongs are in the open state, the second detent structure 1091 engages the device body such that the foldable plug assembly and the device body cannot be separated.

In one example, as shown in fig. 3 and 6, the second locking member 109 further includes a second reset structure 1092 for resetting the second detent structure 1091 to disengage the second detent structure 1091 from the device body.

The second resetting structure 1092 and the second detent structure 1091 may be connected by any suitable means, as long as the second resetting structure 1092 drives the second detent structure 1091 to move upward.

For example, as shown in fig. 6, the second detent structure 1091 includes a first end and a second end, wherein the width of the first end is greater than the width of the second end, and one end of the second reset structure 1092 abuts against the portion of the first end wider than the second end, and the other end abuts against the housing.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 3, a mounting seat 1084 is disposed at the bottom of the housing in the accommodating space of the housing, for example, the mounting seat is disposed on the bottom shell 108, a vertical through hole penetrating through the bottom of the housing, for example, penetrating through the bottom shell 108, is disposed in the mounting seat 1084, a portion of the second locking structure 109 is disposed in the vertical through hole, a step structure is disposed in the vertical through hole, and the other end of the second resetting structure 1092 abuts against the step structure.

Wherein the second return structure 1092 may comprise a return spring, or other suitable return structure, wherein the return spring may be in a compressed state or a naturally extended state in an initial state, i.e., without the second locking element being subjected to other external forces.

In one example, the top end of the secondary locking member 109 may abut against the rotation shaft 1041, or a predetermined distance between the top end of the secondary locking member and the rotation shaft when the prongs are folded is smaller than a rotation space of the cam of the rotation shaft, so that the cam of the rotation shaft can apply downward pressure to the secondary locking member to connect the secondary locking member to the device body when the prongs are opened.

In one example, the foldable plug assembly further comprises a mounting assembly (not shown) disposed on the housing for detachably mounting the foldable plug assembly to a device body. Wherein, the mounting assembly can be arranged on the bottom shell or the face shell. For example, the mounting assembly is disposed on the fixed structure 1080.

Optionally, the mounting assembly includes a power transfer assembly (not shown) electrically connected to the pins, when mounted to the device body, to a power input interface of the device body.

Alternatively, the bottom shell 108 may be any suitable shape, wherein the bottom shell 108 may include only a bottom plate to cover the opening in the bottom of the face shell 101, or the bottom shell 108 may further include a bottom plate and a vertically disposed mounting plate disposed at one end of the bottom plate, the mounting plate and the face shell being snap-coupled.

The side wall of the shell is further provided with a mounting hole 1083, when the foldable plug assembly is detachably mounted on the device main body, the unlocking structure on the device main body inserts and unlocks the first locking piece from the mounting hole 1083, so that the plug pins can be rotatably opened and folded for storage.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 3, a mounting hole 1083 opposite to the end of the first locking member is further provided on the mounting plate, and is used for allowing the limiting member of the device main body to pass through the mounting hole when the device main body and the foldable plug assembly are connected, so as to apply a force to the first locking member, so that the first locking member is moved, and thus the first locking member is unlocked. In one example, the mounting holes 1083 are provided on a vertical mounting plate of the bottom case 108. In one example, as shown in fig. 3, the foldable plug assembly 100 further includes a conductive spring 107, the conductive spring 107 is disposed below the pins 102, when the pins are in the open state, one end (contact end) of the pins is in contact with the conductive spring 107 and is electrically connected, and when the pins 102 are in the folded state, the pins are not in contact with the conductive spring 107.

Optionally, the conductive elastic sheet 107 is provided with a fixing portion, the fixing portion is provided with a fixing hole 1071, the bottom case 108 is provided with an elastic sheet fixing seat 1081, and the fixing hole 1071 is matched with the elastic sheet fixing seat 1081, so as to fix the conductive elastic sheet 107 on the bottom case 108.

The conductive elastic sheet 107 may be any suitable metal elastic sheet, such as a copper elastic sheet, an aluminum elastic sheet, etc., and may be configured into a suitable shape according to actual needs, which is not limited herein.

The number of the conductive spring 107 may be determined according to the number of the pins 102, for example, when the pins 102 are two, the number of the conductive spring 107 is also two, and a general plug assembly has two pins, and the two pins are respectively connected to the live wire or the neutral wire, so that the number of the conductive spring is two.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, when the foldable plug assembly is not connected to (i.e. mounted to) the device body, the front shell 101 and the bottom shell 108 are firmly combined to form a housing of the foldable plug assembly, which can be regarded as an integral non-detachable member, and no relative displacement occurs, and at this time, the pins 102 are kept in a folded and retracted state, i.e. a locked state, if the pins 102 need to be opened, as shown in fig. 6, the rotation shaft 1041 needs to rotate 90 ° in a counterclockwise direction indicated by an arrow in the figure, so as to open the pins 102, but at this time, under the action of the first reset structure 106, the first detent structure 105 is in a pop-up state against the limiting member 1042 (for example, the limiting member 1042 is a concave structure, and a part of the first detent structure 105 is inserted into the concave structure to limit the rotation of the rotation shaft) so as to limit the rotation of the rotation shaft 1041, the process of opening and rotating the foldable plug requires enough space, and a small space is provided between the first locking member (for example, the first blocking structure 105) and the rotating shaft, which cannot meet the space requirement when the rotating shaft of the cam structure rotates, or a part of the surface of the first blocking structure 105 directly acts on the cam of the rotating shaft, which plays a role of assisting in synchronizing and limiting the rotation of the rotating shaft, so that the pins cannot be opened and cannot be normally inserted into the conductive strong electricity for use, which is a safe state, so that when the foldable plug exists alone, the folded pins are locked, cannot be opened without violent damage, cannot be normally inserted into the conductive strong electricity for use, and thus, the safety and reliability are higher, and the volume of the foldable plug assembly is also smaller.

In another embodiment, the invention also provides a device comprising the foldable plug assembly in the previous embodiment, which may be any device comprising a plug assembly, for example, the device may comprise a charging device, wherein the charging device may comprise a mobile phone charger, a computer charger, etc.

Specifically, in one example, as shown in fig. 7, the apparatus 200 of the present invention including a foldable plug assembly, the apparatus 200 comprising: the structure of the foldable plug assembly 100, which includes the face housing, the pins 102, etc., can be referred to the description of the previous embodiments and will not be repeated here.

The device 200 further comprises a device body 201, only a part of the structure of the device body 201 being shown in the drawing, wherein a part of the outer shell of the device body 201 is engaged with the foldable plug assembly 100, on both sides of the housing of the foldable plug assembly, in particular on both sides of the face shell 101. The device body 201 may be connected to the collapsible plug assembly by snap-fit connection, snap-fit clamping, ultrasonic welding, or other suitable means.

Optionally, the device main body 201 includes a casing (not shown), and electronic components (not shown) or other functional components disposed in the casing, where the electronic components may be various devices integrated on a circuit board, and the various devices may be, for example, electronic components for realizing charging of electronic products, and the like, and are not specifically limited herein.

In one example, the conductive spring piece of the foldable plug assembly is electrically connected with the electronic component, so that when the pins are opened and electrically connected with a power supply, power can be supplied to devices in the device main body, and the function of the device is realized.

The device main body increases the safety distance of the foldable plug component, so that the foldable plug component conforms to the rules and demographics, and the design limit of the product is small, so long as the device main body can be applicable to any structural shape capable of being combined with the foldable plug component.

In one specific example, as shown in fig. 8, the device body 201 is detachably mounted with the foldable plug assembly, wherein the device body 201 includes an unlocking structure 202 for unlocking the first locking member to allow the pins to be rotatably unfolded and folded for stowage when the foldable plug assembly is assembled into the device body.

For example, when the foldable plug assembly is assembled into the device body, one end of the unlocking structure 202 abuts against the first detent structure 105 of the foldable plug assembly, so that the detent portion of the first detent structure 105 abutting against the limiting member 1042 is separated from the limiting member to release the limitation on the rotation axis, and the plug pins can be rotated to open and fold for storage. For example, the first detent structure 105 is moved along the lateral arrow in fig. 9 without limiting the limiting member 1042 on the rotation shaft 1041.

As shown in fig. 8, when the foldable plug assembly is assembled and connected with the device body, the unlocking structure passes through the mounting hole on the foldable plug assembly and abuts against the first locking piece of the foldable plug assembly so as to unlock the first locking piece, and the pins can be rotatably unfolded and folded for storage.

Specifically, the bottom housing of the foldable plug assembly further includes a vertically disposed mounting plate, a mounting hole is disposed on the mounting plate opposite to an end of the first locking element of the foldable plug assembly, the unlocking structure 202 of the device body 201 passes through the mounting hole disposed on the bottom housing to apply a force to the first blocking structure 105, the force causes the first blocking structure 105 to work against the elastic force of the first reset structure 106 and move laterally (as shown by the lateral arrow in fig. 8) until the device body 201 and the foldable plug assembly 100 are completely mounted in place, and at this time, the first locking element releases the limitation of the rotation shaft 1041, so that the rotation shaft 1041 can rotate, and the pins 102 can be folded or unfolded.

In one example, as shown in fig. 8, a fixing position 203 for matching with the second locking piece of the foldable plug assembly is further provided on the device main body 201, and the second locking piece 109 extends into the fixing position 203 to be connected with the device main body when the pins are opened, so that the foldable plug assembly and the device main body cannot be separated. Alternatively, the fixing position 203 may be a groove formed at the bottom of the device body, or may be a protrusion formed at the bottom of the device body, and the protrusion may be connected to the bottom end of the second locking member 109, for example, connected to the bottom end of the second locking structure 1091, for example, a groove formed at the bottom end of the second locking structure and matching with the protrusion.

As shown in fig. 9, when the user uses the foldable plug assembly, the first locking structure 105 and the cantilever latch structure no longer limit the rotation axis 1041, so that the rotation axis 1041 can be directly applied with a force, and the cam structure of the rotation axis 1041 applies a force to the second locking member 109 (e.g. the second locking structure 1091 of the second locking member 109) to compress the second reset structure 1092 and move it downward, so that the pins are opened, thereby electrically connecting the device 200 and the power source, etc., and the second locking structure 1091 moves downward and is partially connected to the device body, e.g. the second locking member 109 extends into the fixing position 203 and is connected to the device body, thereby preventing the foldable plug assembly and the device body from being separated.

Next, a process of assembling the foldable plug assembly to the device body (i.e., unlocking to locking) from the assembly to the separation will be described with reference to fig. 8 to 11.

First, when the foldable plug assembly shown in fig. 9 is assembled with the device body, that is, when the foldable plug assembly is connected to the device body, the unlocking structure of the device body unlocks the first locking member so that the first locking member does not restrict the rotation shaft 1041, the rotation shaft 1041 is in a freely rotatable state so that the pins can be unfolded or folded and stored, and the device can be used normally, and at the same time, since the second locking member 109 is connected to the device body, the foldable plug assembly cannot be separated from the device body in this state. Therefore, when the plug assembly is separated from the device body, the plug pins must be folded and retracted, the plug pins can be manually folded and retracted, the plug assembly can be separated from the device body, and otherwise, the plug assembly cannot be separated under the action of an unlocking structure of the device body.

As shown in fig. 8, after the plug pins 102 are folded and retracted, the rotation shaft 1041 is moved out of the way, and the second locking member 109 (e.g., the second locking structure 1091) is moved upward by the second restoring structure 1092 to be retracted and disengaged from the fixing position 203 of the device body, so that the device body 201 and the foldable plug assembly 100 can be separated.

As shown in fig. 10, when the prongs 102 are in the folded and retracted state, the connection between the second lock 109 and the device main body 201 is released. After folding the retracting pins, as shown in fig. 10, the plug assembly 100 can be separated from the device body 201, the unlocking structure of the device body no longer applies an acting force to the first locking element, and the first locking structure 105 is reset under the elastic force of the first resetting structure 106, so that the rotating shaft 1041 cannot rotate, a locked state is realized, and the locking pins cannot rotate to open. A schematic view of the device body 201 and the foldable plug assembly 100 fully separated is shown in fig. 11.

Although the illustrative embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the foregoing illustrative embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention thereto. Various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the implementation. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the units is only one logical functional division, and other divisions may be realized in practice, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be omitted, or not executed.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. It is understood, however, that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the invention and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. However, the method of the present invention should not be construed to reflect the intent: that the invention as claimed requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and all of the processes or elements of any method or apparatus so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where such features are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, rather than other features, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements, and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the unit claims enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The usage of the words first, second and third, etcetera do not indicate any ordering. These words may be interpreted as names.

Claims

1. A foldable plug assembly, comprising:

at least two pins arranged at intervals;

2. The foldable plug assembly of claim 1, wherein the second locking member is disposed below the pivot shaft and the second locking member is movable up and down.

3. The foldable plug assembly of claim 1, wherein a mounting seat is disposed at the bottom of the housing in the receiving space of the housing, the mounting seat having a vertical through hole extending through the bottom of the housing, and a portion of the second locking member is disposed in the vertical through hole.

4. The foldable plug assembly of claim 1, wherein the second locking member includes a second detent structure that engages the device body when the foldable plug assembly is mounted to the device body and the prongs are in the open state, such that the foldable plug assembly and the device body cannot be separated.

5. The foldable plug assembly of claim 4, wherein the second locking member further comprises a second reset feature for resetting the second detent feature to disengage the second detent feature from the device body.

6. The foldable plug assembly of claim 5, wherein the second detent structure includes a first end and a second end, wherein the first end has a width greater than a width of the second end, and wherein the second reset structure has one end abutting the first end and another end abutting the housing.

7. The foldable plug assembly of claim 6, wherein a mounting seat is disposed at the bottom of the housing in the receiving space of the housing, the mounting seat has a vertical through hole penetrating through the bottom of the housing, a portion of the second locking member is disposed in the vertical through hole, a step structure is disposed in the vertical through hole, and the other end of the second reset structure abuts against the step structure.

8. The foldable plug assembly of claim 1, wherein the pivot shaft is a camming structure that engages the second locking member to couple the second locking member to the device body when the foldable plug assembly is mounted to the device body and the prongs are open.

9. The foldable plug assembly of claim 1, wherein the pivot shaft further comprises a stop for limiting rotation of the pivot shaft.

10. The foldable plug assembly of claim 9, wherein the retaining member comprises a recessed structure disposed on the pivot shaft.

11. The foldable plug assembly of claim 9, wherein the first locking member comprises a first detent structure that abuts the stop to limit rotation of the pivot shaft.

12. The foldable plug assembly of claim 1, wherein the first locking member comprises a first detent structure movably disposed in the receiving space for limiting the pivot axis from pivoting open the prongs when the foldable plug assembly is not mounted to the device body and the prongs are in the folded position.

13. The foldable plug assembly of claim 12, wherein the first locking member further comprises a first reset feature for resetting the first detent feature.

14. The foldable plug assembly of claim 13, wherein the free end of the first return structure is coupled to the first detent structure and the fixed end of the first return structure abuts the housing.

15. The foldable plug assembly of claim 14, wherein the first return structure comprises a return spring, wherein the end of the first detent structure coupled to the first return structure has a protrusion, and the free end of the return spring is coupled to the protrusion, or wherein the end of the first detent structure coupled to the first return structure has a recess, and the free end of the return spring extends into the recess.

16. The foldable plug assembly of claim 1, wherein a mounting assembly is disposed on the housing for removably mounting the foldable plug assembly to a device body.

17. The foldable plug assembly of claim 16, wherein the mounting assembly includes a power transfer assembly electrically connected to the prongs and electrically connected to a power input interface of the device body when mounted thereto.

18. The foldable plug assembly of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a mounting hole in a side wall thereof, and wherein the unlocking structure of the device body is configured to insert into the mounting hole to unlock the first locking member when the foldable plug assembly is detachably mounted to the device body, thereby releasing the pivot axis.

19. The foldable plug assembly of claim 18, wherein the first locking member comprises a first detent structure, a portion of the first detent structure extending into the mounting aperture or the first detent structure being opposite the mounting aperture and located outside of the mounting aperture.

20. An apparatus including a foldable plug assembly, the apparatus comprising:

a foldable plug assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 19;

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the unlocking structure passes through the mounting hole of the foldable plug assembly and abuts against the first locking member of the foldable plug assembly when the device body is connected with the foldable plug assembly, so as to unlock the first locking member and enable the prongs to be rotatably unfolded and folded for stowage.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein a fixing position is further provided on the device body to be engaged with the second locking member of the foldable plug assembly, and the second locking member is extended into the fixing position to be coupled with the device body when the prongs are opened, so that the foldable plug assembly and the device body cannot be separated.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the securing location is a groove disposed in a bottom portion of the device body.