EP3459146B1 - Easily operable travel connector adapter - Google Patents

Description

field of invention

The present invention relates to a travel plug adapter, which is also referred to herein as a travel plug for short. With the help of such an adapter, power plugs of a specific (domestic) standard can be plugged into the sockets available at the travel location. To do this, the travel plug adapter requires a plug socket of the first standard and a mains plug of another standard. The present case is more precisely about travel plug adapters which enable plugging into sockets of at least one first and one second standard. For this purpose, mains plugs of a first and a second standard can be used alternatively with the travel plug adapter.

Background of the Invention

Travel plug adapters or travel plugs of this type are being used more and more in times of increasing global travel and business activity. Therefore, there is a need for compact, highly portable travel plug adapters that accommodate multiple standard outlets.

The Chinese patent application CN 101872911A discloses a travel plug adapter having a generally circular body. Mains plugs are housed inside the housing, which can be selected and pushed out of the housing. At least three different mains plug types can be used in this way. The desired mains plug is selected by twisting the upper part of the housing in relation to the lower part of the housing. The upper part of the housing has a single outwardly projecting actuating slide. This operating slide can be brought into engagement with various mains plug elements. To do this, it is rotated into a position above the mains plug that is to be pushed out of the housing at the bottom.

This travel plug may be useful for many purposes. However, the mechanical twisting of the upper part of the housing relative to the lower part of the housing requires precise housing manufacture in order to achieve a low-resistance rotary movement allow and also to ensure that the actuating slide can be reliably brought into engagement with a mains plug element in different housing positions. Incidentally, the round shape itself is a limitation. In many cases, for example, a cuboid travel plug adapter is felt to be easier to transport. Furthermore, with a round travel plug adapter, one does not see all the selectable mains plug elements from a certain angle.

The German patent DE 10 2011 014 920 B4 discloses another travel plug referred to as a universal plug adapter. In this travel plug several sets of plug pins are provided in an outer housing. Each pin set is connected to a control panel that allows it to be moved from the outside. The controls are guided through sliding slots in the housing. The controls are additionally guided through a locking plate provided within the outer housing. This blocking plate has a connecting link through the recesses of which the operating parts can move. The backdrop provides an upper and a lower end position. The locking plate is spring-loaded so that a control panel can be held firmly in the upper or lower end position. The control panel and thus the corresponding plug pin set can be released from the end positions and moved up or down by actuating a selector lever that is additionally provided on the outside next to the control panels. By pressing this selector lever, the locking plate is against the spring force emotional. This allows the pins to be moved from their upper or lower end position using the controls. [p. page 3a]

In this solution, the external controls are used both to move the pin sets from a first end position, a ready position, into a second end position, a use position, and to lock the pin sets in these positions. The disadvantage of this is that while the sets of plug pins are being moved by the operating parts, the selector lever must also be operated. This stands in the way of convenient one-handed operation. The controls also take up a lot of space on the connector surface. This stands in the way of free design-oriented design and the achievement of a compact design.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved travel plug adapter that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art. The travel adapter should be inexpensive and reliable to produce, easy to transport and operate, and offer a high level of electrical safety.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of independent patent claim 1. Advantageous configurations are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

The travel plug adapter according to the invention has a housing which can have different shapes. For example, a cuboid shape is usually convenient for transportation. However, the mechanics of the travel plug adapter are designed in such a way that the shape of the housing can be chosen freely. It is advantageous if the housing has at least one flat side, but the mechanism can also be adapted to curved housing surfaces. The housing can be designed in one piece or in several pieces. It has proven to be expedient to design the housing in two parts, namely with a lower housing part and an upper housing part. Both can be detachably connected to one another, for example by mechanical means, expediently by a screw connection.

CN 105 576 408 A discloses a travel plug adapter with a selection slider.

CN 202 206 006 U discloses another travel plug adapter which also has a selection slider.

The travel plug adapter should also have at least one plug of a first standard and a second plug of a second standard. (Such plugs are also sometimes referred to as pin sets.) For example, the first standard plug may be an EU plug and the second standard plug may be a US plug. The plugs can be two-pole, ie ungrounded, or three-pole, so that a ground pole can be provided. Thus, the present travel plug adapter is suitable for use in more than one country.

It is expedient and usually also necessary if the first plug and the second plug are used alternatively.

The travel plug adapter can also include three or more plugs. Travel plug adapters with three or four plugs have proven to be very useful. At least one of the plugs, but usually all plugs, can be moved from a ready position, in which the plug is essentially in the housing, to a use position. In the use position, the plug is usable entirely or at least partially outside the housing. It is often possible for the plug to be moved completely back into the housing when it is returned to the ready position. It is expedient if the plug can be moved back into the housing at least far enough so that it does not get in the way of other plugs.

The first plug is connected to an actuating slide for its transfer from the ready position to the use position. The second plug is also connected to an actuating slide for its transfer from the ready position to the use position. The travel plug adapter thus has at least a first actuating slide and a second actuating slide. The actuating slides can expediently be designed in the manner of buttons, so that they can be easily moved with one finger. Sliding slots are provided in the housing for the actuating slides. Sliding slots can also be connected to one another, resulting in a guide link for the actuating slide. It is usually expedient for each actuating slide to provide a slide slot and to arrange these slide slots parallel to each other.

A selection slide is provided on the travel plug adapter, which can be brought into at least a first position and a second position. Alternatively, in its first position, this selection slide releases the first plug or, in its second position, releases the second plug for transfer into the use position. To this end, it has a blocking element.

In this way, the selection slider offers practical added value for the travel plug adapter. It is not uncommon for a travel plug adapter to be carried to the same destination country several times. It is also conceivable that in a destination country the required plug is returned from the use position to the ready position while it is not required. It is therefore advantageous if the corresponding plug type can be set on the selection slide. It is easily possible to label the selection slider in such a way that the destination country can be easily read and adjusted there. After the selection slide is then transferred to the appropriate position, only the corresponding plug can be transferred to the use position. This usually means that only one actuating slide can be moved.

Since the travel plug adapter should always be compact, the actuating slides are usually close together. It can therefore easily happen that, for example, a finger is not placed exactly on the actuating slide and an adjacent actuating slide could accidentally be displaced as well. However, since the present invention only enables the actuation of one plug and thus (usually) also one actuating slide, the actuating slide accidentally touched does not move (or at least it does not move the associated plug). This makes the operation of the travel plug adapter more fault-tolerant.

However, the provision of a selection slide which only releases a plug and an actuating slide also has significant safety advantages. If more than one plug is pushed out at the same time, current can flow through others than those standardized contacts flow. This can damage the travel plug adapter and, in the worst case, damage to connected devices or even a user.

It is expedient if the housing of the travel plug adapter has sliding slots or similar recesses. The operating slides can run in these sliding slots. A sliding slot for the selection slide can also be provided in addition. Sliding slots allow movement of a slider while guiding it. They therefore represent an advantageous and inexpensive mechanical solution. Since, as a rule, several actuating slides are provided on the travel plug adapter, it is particularly advantageous if these can be guided in sliding slots in a simple manner. Within the scope of the present invention, the actuating slides only have to cause the plug to move, usually an up or down movement. The actuating slides do not have to ensure that the plugs are locked in the use position, nor do they have to ensure that only one plug can be selected at a time. Insofar as the operating slides are allowed to perform only one function within the scope of the present invention, they can be easily and reliably guided in sliding slots. If an actuating slide were spring-loaded, for example, guiding it in a sliding slot would generally be less user-friendly, the slide would tend to tilt, would run "snaggy" and would in any case have greater resistance.

Within the scope of the present invention, it is therefore inventive if the selection slide can be displaced between the sliding slots and at least one actuation path between two adjacent sliding positions of the selection slide is smaller than a distance between two adjacent sliding slots. It is usually expedient if the selection slide can be displaced exactly or essentially perpendicularly between the sliding slots. A distance between two adjacent sliding slots is useful when all actuation paths between two adjacent sliding positions of the selection slide are smaller. It may be desirable to place the selector slide at an acute angle to the perpendicular to the slide slots if it still provides adequate locking in the perpendicular. This shall herein be understood as "substantially" perpendicular. The sliding travel of a selection slider that is slidable "between" the slide slots need not be limited by the slide slots.

According to the invention, the plug has an engaging cam for engaging in the blocking element and the blocking element contains a recess for each engaging cam, through which the engaging cam can be displaced in a specific sliding position of the selection slide. Within the scope of the present invention, the distance between two adjacent recesses can be smaller than the distance between the adjacent engagement cams provided for these recesses.

The blocking element can be designed as a comb-like blocking strip with alternately arranged recesses and blocking cams. This makes it possible to produce a reliably working and compact blocking element. It can be useful if the locking bar contains one locking cam more than recesses.

In a particularly compact plug adapter, the locking bar can be arranged so that it can be displaced essentially perpendicularly to the sliding slots. At least one engagement cam can be connected to the corresponding plug via a guide arm.

The plugs can be brought into the use position using the actuating slides. It is advantageous for the safe use of the travel plug adapter that the plugs also remain in the use position, for example when they are inserted into a socket against pressure. In order to ensure that plugs remain in the use position and to lock them there, a locking or latching element can be provided within the scope of the present invention. This locking element can lock at least one plug of the travel plug adapter, but the locking element can also lock several or all of the plugs in the use position.

The latching element can be designed as a component that is separate from the selection slide. Alternatively, the latching element can also be a component connected to the selection slide. The design as a separate component has potential manufacturing advantages. The selection slide is a component that does not have to impart large forces or withstand large forces. However, by its very nature, the latching element must reliably exert enough force to securely hold a plug of any standard in the usage position.

For similar considerations, it is expedient if the latching element is also a component that is separate from the actuating slides. The latching element is then to be understood as a separate component if it has at least one component which is not also part of the selection slide or an actuating slide. As a rule, it is expedient if all the components of the latching element are designed separately from the components of the selection slide and also the components of the actuating slide.

It is expedient if the locking element is connected to a release button which is provided on the outside of the housing and can be actuated in a release direction. Such a release button allows the intuitive and safe release of the latching element when a plug is to be transferred back from the use position to the ready position. This construction seems safer and more reliable than those in which certain movements of the actuating slide or the selection slide or even the plug itself lead to the release of the plug. So that the release button is not pressed accidentally, it can also be provided with warnings or be designed in a warning color, for example red. The release button can be part of the housing, for example if a part of the housing can be pressed in by means of a suitable design. As a rule, it is expedient to provide a recess in the housing and to provide the release button as a part independent of the housing in this recess. The release button can expediently be arranged opposite the selection slide and/or the actuating slides.

It is expedient if the latching element is optionally resiliently prestressed against the release direction. The resilient pretensioning of the locking element allows this reliable automatic locking of plugs into a detent once the plugs are in the use position. It is mechanically advantageous if the springs act exactly in the opposite direction to the release direction.

An expedient design of an (optional) latching element is one in which the latching element has at least one latching web and this latching web has a sliding surface and a latching projection. An element that is connected to a moving plug can slide along the sliding surface. This element can then snap into place on the latching projection, so that the plug connected to the element is locked.

A travel plug adapter is expedient in which at least one plug has a sliding lug or is mechanically firmly connected to one and the sliding lug runs on the sliding surface and can optionally assume a locking position on a latching projection.

A travel plug adapter is also expedient in which the latching means has a large number of latching ribs, for example two, three or four latching ribs. The number of locking webs can be as large as the number of plugs. It can also be expedient and sufficient if the number of locking webs is less than the number of plugs.

Especially in the latter case, it is expedient if at least two plugs are each connected to a sliding lug and both sliding lugs run on the same locking web of the locking element. Since both slide lugs run on the same latching web, both slide lugs run on the same sliding surface and on the same latching projection on which both slide lugs can assume a locking position. Since in the case of the travel plug adapter two plugs are not to be transferred into the use position at the same time, the sliding lugs alternatively assume this locking position on the locking projection. However, since two sliding lugs, for example two sliding lugs of adjacent plugs, share a suitably dimensioned locking web, the number of locking webs can be reduced and the travel plug adapter can be made even more compact.

The selection slide can be provided in any suitable form within the scope of the present invention. It will usually mechanically allow movement of only one connector and prevent movement of the other connectors. For this purpose, the selection slide can expediently act on the actuating slides which are connected to the respective plugs. It can also be useful if the selection slide acts on another element connected to the plugs.

The selector slider may include a selector slider body. This can be placed inside the housing of the travel plug adapter. It is expedient then to provide a recess in the housing, which allows the selection slide to be operated. For example, an actuating button, which is also referred to below as a selection slide button, can be accessible through the recess. It is also conceivable that the selection slide body is placed on the outside of the housing and acts on the actuating slide on the outside of the housing or acts on the actuating slide on the inside by means of a passage.

At least one connector or all of the connectors can be connected to an engaging element which interacts with the selection slide in such a way that the transfer of the connector to the use position is prevented. The engagement element can expediently be designed as a cam or generally as a projection. The movement of the engaging element can be prevented by a locking element of the selection slider, for example a locking bar, a locking cam or the like. It is expedient to arrange the locking cams in a row so that the cams form a comb-like locking bar. Depending on the position of the selection element, it should also be possible that the movement of an engaging element is not prevented, but rather its passage is allowed. For this purpose, the blocking element can advantageously have recesses allowing the passage of the engaging element. For example, a series of projections and recesses can be provided on the selection slide.

As explained, it is advantageous if the position of the selection element can no longer be changed as soon as a plug has been transferred to the use position. To a locking element can be provided for this purpose. The locking element is expediently provided on the selection slide or connected to it. Locking element and selection slide can represent a single component or at least a connected overall component.

A locking element is expedient which has a first functional element for interacting with the first connector and a second functional element for interacting with the second connector. In order to enable simple and inexpensive manufacture of the locking element, it is expedient if the first functional element and the second functional element are structurally identical. The first functional element and the second functional element can each be made available from identical components or component sections of the same type.

It is particularly expedient if the locking element has fingers which can engage in receptacles which are firmly connected to the housing. The functional elements can expediently be designed in the form of fingers. The locking element can also have projections or cams instead of fingers. The recordings can be designed, for example, as projections or recesses in a locking link. The recordings could also be designed as recesses or holes in the housing or in a component connected to the housing.

It is expedient if the locking element comprises a spring element. It is even possible if the locking element is formed entirely from a spring element, for example by a leaf spring. The fingers of the locking element can be resiliently biased using such a spring. The direction of the spring force is in the receptacles on the housing. The springs are prevented from protruding into the corresponding receptacles as long as all plugs are in the ready position.

It is expedient if a finger of the locking element is pressed into a recess in the direction of the spring force as soon as a plug is transferred into the use position.

It is useful if the spring element of the locking element resiliently preloads its fingers in the direction of the receptacles for the fingers which are connected to the housing. The fingers can then conveniently be prevented from reaching into the corresponding receptacles by means of elements which are permanently connected to the plugs, as long as the plugs are in the ready position. It is expedient, for example, if parts of the actuating slide take over this task. For example, the actuating slide can be connected to sliding surfaces that slide along the fingers when the actuating slide is moved into the use position, but release them in the use position, so that the finger assigned to the actuating slide dips into a receptacle assigned to the finger.

Fig. 1

zeigt eine perspektivische Darstellung eines Aufführungsbeispiels eines erfindungsgemäßen Reisesteckeradapters,

Fig. 2

zeigt aus gleicher Perspektive eine Darstellung des Aufführungsbeispiels des Reisesteckeradapters, bei dem der Euro-Stecker in die Nutzstellung überführt wurde,

Fig. 3

zeigt das Aufführungsbeispiel, bei dem der Euro-Stecker in die Nutzstellung überführt wurde, aus einer anderen Perspektive,

Fig. 4

zeigt eine Untersicht des Aufführungsbeispiels,

Fig. 5

zeigt in perspektivischer Ansicht ausgewählte zusammenwirkende Bauteile,

Fig. 6

zeigt eine Seitenansicht der Bauteile aus Fig. 5,

Fig. 7

zeigt eine wieder andere Seitenansicht der Bauteile aus Fig. 5,

Fig. 8

zeigt aus dem Blickwinkel der Fig. 6 eine ergänzte Auswahl zusammenwirkender Bauteile,

Fig. 9

zeigt in perspektivischer Ansicht zwei andere zusammenwirkende Bauteile,

Fig. 10

zeigt in anderer perspektivischer Ansicht dieselben zusammenwirkenden Bauteile,

Fig. 11

zeigt in einer anderen perspektivischen Ansicht die zusammenwirkenden Bauteile aus Figur 10,

Fig. 12

zeigt eine Aufsicht auf die aus Figuren 9 bis 11 bekannten Bauteile,

Fig. 13

zeigt in einer Aufsicht ausgewählte zusammenwirkende Bauteile eines Ausführungsbeispiels eines erfindungsgemäßen Reisesteckers,

Fig. 14

zeigt in einer perspektivischen Ansicht eine Vielzahl ausgewählter Bauteile,

Fig. 15

zeigt eine Aufsicht auf die Bauteile gemäß Figur 14.

Further features, but also advantages of the invention, result from the drawings listed below and the associated description. In the figures and in the associated descriptions, features of the invention are described in combination. However, these features can also be included in other combinations by an object according to the invention. Each disclosed feature is therefore also to be regarded as being disclosed in technically meaningful combinations with other features. Some of the illustrations are slightly simplified and schematic.

1

shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a travel plug adapter according to the invention,

2

shows a representation of the example of the travel plug adapter from the same perspective, in which the euro plug was transferred to the usage position,

3

shows the example in which the euro plug was transferred to the usage position from a different perspective,

4

shows a bottom view of the example,

figure 5

shows selected interacting components in a perspective view,

6

shows a side view of the components figure 5 ,

7

shows another side view of the components figure 5 ,

8

shows from the point of view of 6 an expanded selection of interacting components,

9

shows a perspective view of two other interacting components,

10

shows the same interacting components in a different perspective view,

11

Figure 12 shows the interacting components in another perspective view figure 10 ,

12

shows a top view of the out Figures 9 to 11 known components,

13

shows selected interacting components of an embodiment of a travel plug according to the invention in a top view,

14

shows a variety of selected components in a perspective view,

15

shows a top view of the components according to figure 14 .

1 shows a perspective view of a travel plug adapter according to the invention, which is ready for use but is not yet in the use position. Rather, all plugs are in the ready position, ie in the housing.

Only the most important elements of the travel plug adapter 10 are initially described below. The travel plug adapter has a housing which consists of an upper housing part 12 and a lower housing part 14 . The plug receptacle 16 is located on the upper side of the travel plug adapter and thus in the area of the upper housing part 12 . It has a large number of contact sockets 18 . A selection slide button 20 is provided on the front of the travel plug adapter 10 . Various actuating slides can be selected and released via the selection slide button 20 . Below the selection slide button 20, a first operation slide 22, a second operation slide 24, a third operation slide 26 and a fourth operation slide 28 are provided.

2 shows the same travel plug adapter in the same perspective view. With this travel plug adapter, however, a plug was transferred to the use position. Accordingly, the scroll selector button 20 is positioned at the left end of its travel. In this position, the left actuating slide, ie the first actuating slide 22, is released. The actuating slide 22 has been transferred from the upper to the lower position. As a result, the Euro plug 30 protrudes downwards. This Euro plug has the plug body 32 and two contact pins, a first contact pin 34A and a second contact pin 34B. In this way, the travel plug adapter 10 can be plugged into a Euro standard socket. Contact socket pairs are then available on the upper side of the travel plug adapter, which allow the plugging in of plugs that do not comply with the Euro standard. These are the UK socket pair 18A, the OUT socket pair 18B, the US socket pair 18C and the UK ground pin socket 18D.

Within the scope of the present invention, the first plug can expediently also be a Schuko plug. Such a Schuko plug has two contact pins that essentially correspond to those of the Euro plug. These contact pins can permanently protrude over the plug body of the Schuko plug (or correspondingly over that of the Euro plug). A suitable mechanism allows the contact pins to be moved back into the plug body when the Schuko plug body (or correspondingly the Euro plug body) is transferred into the ready position, so that the plug takes up less space in the ready position. Especially when such a mechanism is used, a reliably functioning selection slide plays a major role, so that the full displacement path is available and the plug is completely transferred into the use position and the ready position.

3 shows the same connector from a different perspective. The plug is in the same position as in 2 , ie the Euro plug is transferred to the use position. It can be seen on the underside of the housing that further contact pins 36, that is to say contact pins of a different standard, are provided. A fuse slot 38 is also provided on the underside. This inset is after closed on the outside with the visible cover, the slot of which can be twisted with a coin, for example, in order to remove the cover and replace a fuse.

Furthermore, the release button 40 is provided on the side of the housing that has not been visible up to now. This release button is received by a housing recess. More precisely, a recess is provided both in the housing upper part 12 and in the housing lower part 14, which jointly surround the release button 40. Pressing the release button allows a plug that has been pushed downwards, such as the Euro plug 30 in this case, to be returned to the housing. However, while the release button is not actuated, the plug cannot be pushed into the housing, so that it cannot happen unintentionally when the plug is inserted into a socket.

4 shows the bottom view of the same travel plug adapter. Here other details can be seen more precisely and are therefore discussed in connection with this figure. The view from below shows that the actuating slides 22 to 28 and also the selection slide button 20 do not protrude much beyond the lateral housing surface. The mechanics of the present invention allow for a compact yet easy to use arrangement in which the actuating slides are closely spaced. The selector slide button 20 is slightly higher than the actuating slides and therefore slightly overhangs them.

The contact pins 34 for the Euro plug are guided in a plug body 32 . The contact pins for plugs of other standards are led out from the underside of the housing without an additional plug body being provided. Two contact pins are provided for sockets of different national standards, i.e. one pair of contact pins each. The contact pin pair 36A is intended for Great Britain, UK contact pins are also mentioned below. The pair of pins 36B is intended for Australia, the following also refers to the pair of pins OUT. The contact pin pair 36C is intended for the USA; the US contact pin pair is also referred to below. In addition, a ground contact 36D is provided. This ground contact is for the UK and is therefore also known as the UK ground contact. It it is possible that a ground is routed via this contact. However, such a contact is usually provided even if no earth conductor is routed over it. This contact then serves as an opening pin for a UK socket. The opening pin causes the remaining two contacts to be inserted.

It can be seen that the release button 40 is provided directly opposite the actuating slides and the selection slide button. In the context of the present invention, it is quite expedient to provide the selector slide button and all the actuating slides on one side of the housing. It is also generally convenient to provide the release button 40 opposite it for safe and intuitive handling.

figure 5 shows a perspective view of selected interacting parts of the embodiment of a travel plug adapter. The lower housing part 14 is shown. Below the housing is the plug body 32, which belongs to the Euro plug. According to the position of the connector body 32, the first actuating slide 22 is shown in a lower position. The housing has sliding slots 42 at the front. Four sliding slots 42 arranged next to one another can be seen, each of which can accommodate an actuating slide. For the sake of clarity, however, only the first actuating slide 22 has been shown. The selection slider body 44 can be seen above the sliding slots. Opposite the selection slide body 44, the recess 46 for the release button can be seen.

The selector slide body is shown in the position in which it is used in the complete travel plug adapter. However, it is shown without the parts that hold it in this position. This simplified representation is also used for clarity. It is convenient to locate the selector slide body 44 above the operating slides, i. H. opposite the bottom of the housing, from which contact pins can be moved out and transferred to the usage position.

6 essentially shows the in figure 5 elements shown from a side perspective. Shown are again the lower housing part 14 and the selection slide body 44. The selection slide body 44 is again in the Shown position in which it is held by other (not shown) components. Also shown is the second actuating slide 24 adjacent to the first actuating slide 22. While the first actuating slide 22 was shown in a lower position, i.e. the position corresponding to the use position of the plug, the second actuating slide 24 is shown in an upper position, i.e. corresponding to the ready position.

In this view it can be seen that the selection slide body 44 has a locking cam 48 on its rear side, which faces the inside of the travel plug adapter. It can also be seen that the first actuating slide is connected to a guide arm 50 . This guide arm 50 can be additionally supported by components that are not shown and then ensures that the position and movement of the actuating slide 22 is not determined solely by the sliding slot 42 . As a rule, however, guiding the actuating slide alone in sliding slots is sufficient. At the upper end of the guide arm 50, an engaging cam 52 is formed.

The engagement cam 52 is engageable with the lock cam 48 to prevent the second operating slide 24 from moving downward.

7 shows the interaction of the from another side view figure 5 and 6 known parts. In 7 one can again see the lower housing part 14 and the selection slide body 44 in the position corresponding to its position in the complete travel plug adapter. The rear side of the selection slide body 44 is in engagement with the guide arm 50 of the second actuating slide. On its rear side, the selector slider body has a plurality of locking cams, cams 48A, 48B, 48C, 48D and 48E. Passages in the form of recesses, the recesses 54A, 54B, 54C and 54D, are provided between these locking cams, respectively. While the locking cam 48C is engaged with the engaging cam of the guide arm 50 in the position shown, the engaging cam of the guide arm 50 is no longer engaged with a locking cam in another position of the selector slide body. Rather, the shifting of the selector slider body 44 causes the locking cam 48 of the guide arm stands above a recess. From this position, the guide arm and thus the entire actuating slide can be moved down towards the use position.

8 has a similar side view as 6 , but an additional component is shown here. Shown again are the lower housing part 14, the second actuating slide 24 and the selection slide body 44. As already shown, the actuating slide 24 (like the other actuating slides) has a guide arm 50. This guide arm 50 has the engaging cam 52 at its end, which can be brought into engagement with the locking cam 48 .

Beyond the components that are already in 6 and 7 were shown, the locking element 56 is also shown in this view. The latch member 56 is generally in the form of a leaf spring that nestles against the inside of the selector slider body 44 (the side oriented toward the guide arm). The locking element 56 has the finger 58 at its upper end which protrudes over the upper side of the selector slide body 44 . The locking element 56 also has the pressure surface 60, which also includes an elevation.

The function of the locking element 56 is as follows: While the actuating slide 24 is in the upper position shown, the engagement cam 52 exerts pressure on the pressure surface 60 . As soon as the actuating slide is moved downwards when the selection slide body 44 is in a suitable position, the engagement cam 52 (or possibly another element of the guide arm 50) no longer presses against the pressure surface 60. The finger 58 is spring-loaded so that it can be moved due to the spring force moved towards the center of the travel plug adapter (i.e. in 8 to the left).

This spring effect comes into play as soon as pressure is no longer exerted on the pressure surface 60 . Then the finger 58 moves to the latch position. In this latched position, it can engage a stationary member connected to the housing, which can generally be described as a finger receptacle.

This results in the selector slide body 44 also being held in a fixed position relative to the housing.

9 shows a perspective view of the selector slide body 44 and the locking element 56, more precisely its finger 58. The locking element 56 can be produced, for example, from a bent leaf spring. The selector slide body has 44 recesses at its upper end. The fingers 58 of the locking element 56 can be inserted through the four recesses shown. On the one hand, this ensures that the locking element 56 and the selection slide body 44 are also well connected to one another in the upper area. Second, the recesses allow the four fingers 58A, 58B, 58C and 58D of the latch member 56 to move smoothly between the latched and select (or ready) positions.

10 shows the selection slide body 44 and the locking element 56 in a perspective view from a different viewing direction. Again, these fingers 58 and their mode of operation are clearly visible. The locking element 56 is intended to be mechanically firmly connected to the selector slide body 44 . For this purpose, the selection slide body 44 can have recesses that allow easy insertion or a click connection between the selection slide body 44 and the locking element 56 . This can be seen in the lower area of the selection slide body 44 .

figure 11 12 shows the selection slide body 44 and the locking element 56 in a plan view obliquely from below. The locking cams 48A, 48B, 48C and 48D can be clearly seen in this view. Recesses 54A, 54B, 54C and 54D can be seen between the locking cams. The recesses not only permit the passage of the engaging cams 52 of the guide arms 50, they also permit the convenient connection of the latch member 56 to the selector slide body 44.

The locking element 56 has four webs which form functional elements of the locking element 56 and whose upper ends form the fingers 58A, 58B, 58C and 58D. These web-like functional elements can be carried out through the passages 54 and thus ensure an easy and stable connection between Latch member 56 and selector slide body 44. In this view it can be seen that latch member 56 is fitted with connecting clips at its lower end, specifically three connecting clips 57A, 57B and 57C. These three connecting clips can be received in bushings 59 which are provided on the selection slide body 44 .

Opposite these passages 59, in the upper area of the selection slide body 44, there are recesses 55 which can accommodate the fingers. These recesses on the selector slide body 44 permit the easy and secure connection of the latch member 56 to the selector slide body 44. Therefore, the latch member may be made in one piece from a metal plate or, preferably, a leaf spring section.

This view also clearly shows that the five locking cams 48 form a comb-like locking bar 49 .

figure 12 shows the same elements in plan view. In the top view it can be seen that the fingers 58 can be arranged close together. The passages are also close together. Drawn in is the length B, which describes the total length over which passages are provided. The length B is thus measured from the left end of the first passage 54A to the right end of the passage 54D. The size comparison in connection with other components results from the following illustrations.

13 shows a view from below of the interaction of the locking element 56 with the housing upper part 12. The viewing direction is from the direction of the housing lower part 14 to the underside of the housing upper part 12. The contact sockets 18 can be seen accordingly. The locking element 56 nestles against the front housing wall. In the case of a functional travel plug adapter, it is additionally held by the selection slide body 44, which is not shown here for the sake of clarity.

The fingers 58A, 58B, 58C and 58D of the latch member 56 nestle against the housing top. All fingers are shown in the ready position.

As soon as an associated actuating slide and the corresponding plug are transferred to its use position, a finger moves into the locked position. In order to lock the finger in the locking position, the locking link 62 is provided on the underside of the housing. This locking link has recesses. In the embodiment shown, the recesses are separated from adjacent recesses by webs. The locking link 62 has a total of four recesses, the recess 64A, the recess 64B, the recess 64C and the recess 64D.

Another form of locking link can also be expedient; in general, the locking link should have finger receptacles that are stationary with respect to the housing. As soon as a finger 58 dips into an associated recess 64, the locking element 56 assumes a stationary position relative to the housing. It can therefore no longer be shifted together with the selection slide body 44; in the viewing direction, the relevant shift up or down is blocked.

figure 14 shows a large number of selected components in a perspective view. Carrier webs for different contact pins can be seen in each case. The carrier web 66A for the contact pins for the USA can be seen in detail. This bracket 66A is connected to the guide arm 50A. Arranged next to it is the carrier 66B for the contact pins for Australia. It is connected to the guide arm 50B. Next to it you can see the 66C support web for the contact pins for Great Britain. It is connected to the guide arm 50C. In addition, the support bar 66D can be seen, which is connected to the guide arm 50D and is responsible for moving the Euro plug.

As can be seen, the guide arms 50 are released depending on the position of the selector body 44, the position of which can be adjusted by the selector knob 20 from the outside.

figure 15 shows a top view of the in 14 components shown. In the following, location information such as left, right, top and bottom refer to the representation in 15 . Visible are again the guide arms 50 and the Selector slide body 44. The locking cams 48A, 48B, 48C, 48D and 48E, which form a comb-like locking bar 49 on the inside of the selector slide body 44, can also be seen. Recesses 54 are provided between these locking cams 48, which allow the passage of the guide arms and, more precisely, their engaging elements, which are not visible here. The corresponding recesses are recess 54A, recess 54B, recess 54C and recess 54D.

In the illustrated position of the selector slide body 44, the up and down movement of the euro plug guide arm 50D is permitted. This is done by the first actuating slide 22 (not visible in this view) connected to the guide arm 50D. The remaining guide arms 50A, 50B, 50C engage with the comb-like locking bar 49 via their engaging cams.

Locking cam 48A locks guide arm 50A, locking cam 48B locks guide arm 50B, and locking cam 48C locks guide arm 50C. In the position of the selector slide 44 shown, the locking cam 48E is not engaged with the guide arm 50D.

The guide arms 50 are arranged over a distance A which is from the center of the guide arm 50A to the center of the guide arm 50D. The distance A also corresponds to the length over which the centers of the actuating slides are arranged. It can be seen that the recesses 54 are arranged over a lesser distance, over distance B (see Fig 12 ) extending from the left end of the first passage 54A to the right end of the fourth passage 54D. In the sense of the present invention, the distance B, which extends over the length of the passages, can be less than 50% or less than 80% of the distance A, over which the centers of the actuating slides are arranged.

To select a different plug, the euro plug 30 is first pushed into the lower housing part 14 with the actuating slide 22 . The engagement cam 52 of the guide arm 50D moves upwards through the recess 54D of the locking bar 49. Another plug is then selected by sliding the slide selector 44 using the slide selector button 20 in the direction of the arrow 68. The locking cam 48E fixes the guide arm 50D of the actuating slide 22 and, depending on the position of the slide selector 44 or the locking bar 70 with the recesses 54, releases a guide arm 50 of another plug.

The recesses 54 of the locking bar 70 are arranged in relation to the engagement cams 52 of the guide arms 50 according to a mathematical principle which is not dissimilar to the vernier principle. The distance between two adjacent recesses 54 is the same for all recesses 54 . Likewise, the distance between two adjacent engagement cams 52 is the same for all engagement cams 52 . However, the distance between two adjacent recesses 54 is smaller than the distance between two adjacent engagement cams 52 or guide arms 50. In other words, two adjacent locking cams 48 are arranged at a distance from one another which is shorter than the distance between two adjacent guide arms 50 or actuating slides 22, 24, 26, 28 is.

With this arrangement, when the selector slide body 44 is slid in the direction of the arrow 68, the guide arm 50C is first released precisely when the right end of the locking cam 48C is displaced to the left side of the guide arm 50C or to the left end of the engagement cam 52 of the guide arm 50C. Then, the guide arm 50C with the engaging cam 52 can be moved downward through the recess 54C. This position of the select slide body 44 is calculated from the position in 15 reached after a displacement of a distance B1.

If the selector slide body 44 is now further displaced in the direction of the arrow 68, the guide arm 50C is locked by the locking cam 48D. The plug of this guide arm 50C can no longer be extended from the housing. Likewise, guide arm 50D remains fixed by engagement with locking cam 48E. As soon as the right end of the locking cam 48B is shifted to the left side of the guide arm 50B, this is released and can be pushed down with the engaging cam 52 through the recess 54B. Starting from the position of the select slide body 44 to 15 will this position after a shift by a distance B2, which is a second distance longer than the first distance B1.

Accordingly, when the selector slider body 44 is displaced a distance B3, the right end of the lock cam 48A is at the left side of the guide arm 50A. This guide arm 50A can now be pushed down through the recess 54A, while all other guide arms 50B, 50C, 50D are locked by the respective locking cams 48C, 48D and 48E. The blocking cams 48 each lie at least partially in a path of movement of the locked guide arms 50. To select a different plug, a displacement of the selection sliding body 44 by means of the selection slide 20 by the distance B3 is therefore required at most. The route B3 represents a third route which is longer than the second route B2.

The space saving design is made possible in part by the plunger cams not completely overlapping the locking cams while engaged. It has been shown that even the partial overlapping of the cams causes a reliable blocking position, but only if the length of the overlap is sufficiently selected.

Compared to a conventional locking bar with only one recess, a much shorter actuation path of the selection slide 20 is achieved in this way. If there is only one recess, the selection slide 20 must be shifted by a distance A in order to move from the in 15 select the connector with the guide arm 50A from the position shown for the connector with the guide arm 50D. This distance A corresponds to the distance between the guide arm 50D of the first operating slide 22 and the guide arm 50A of the fourth operating slide and is significantly larger than the distance B3 mentioned above. For the other guide arms 50C, 50B, too, the paths B1 and B2 as actuation paths are shorter than in the case of a locking bar with only one recess.

The present construction allows a more convenient operation and a more compact design of the travel plug, since the selection slide 20 only has to be moved over a distance which is significantly smaller than the distance A, and in the representation of figure 15 corresponds to the distance B3. According to the invention, the maximum displacement distance required for the selection slide can be less than 30%, less than 50% or less than 80% of the distance A over which the centers of the actuating slides are arranged.

In the manner described in general terms and more concretely in the drawings, a travel adapter can be produced which is very easy to use, but in which operating errors are hardly to be expected. Interestingly, the travel adapter can still be manufactured inexpensively in this way and can also be manufactured inexpensively and reliably, even if greater error tolerances have to be allowed for in mass production.

Reference List

10

Travel plug/travel plug adapter

12

housing top

14

housing base

16

connector receptacle

18

contact socket

18A

UK socket pair

18B

OUT jack pair

18C

US socket pair

18D

Socket for UK earth pin

20

Slider control knob

22

first operating slide

24

second operating slide

26

third operating slide

28

fourth operating slide

30

euro plug

32

connector body

34

contact pin

36

contact pins

36A

UK contact pins

36B

OUT pins

36C

US contact pins

36D

UK earth contact

38

fuse slot

40

release button

42

sliding slot

44

Selector Slider Body/Selector Slider

46

Recess for release button

48

locking cam

49

locking bar

50

guide arm

52

engagement element/engagement cam

54

recess

55

recess (for fingers)

56

locking element

57

connecting clips

58

finger

59

Feed-through for connecting clips

60

printing surface

62

locking link

64

recess

66

support bar

68

Arrow for a direction of movement

Claims (13)

1. Travel plug adapter (10) having a housing, a plug receptacle (16), and at least a first plug (34) of a first standard and a second plug (36) of a second standard, wherein allocated to each plug is an actuation slider (22, 24, 26, 28) that is conducted to the outside through a slide slot (42) of the housing and is embodied for displacing the plug between a standby position, in which the plug is essentially disposed inside the housing, and a usage position, in which the plug may be used outside of the housing, and the slide slots (42) are arranged adjacent to one another, and wherein the travel plug adapter (10) has a sliding selector (44) having a slide position for each plug and the sliding selector (44) is connected to an operating button (20) provided on an outer side of the housing and has a blocking element (49) that is arranged inside the housing, and, depending on the slide position of the sliding selector (44), only permits displacement of the selected plug between the standby position and the usage position, while other plugs are arrested in the standby position by the blocking element (49), wherein the sliding selector (44) may be displaced between the slide slots (42) and at least one actuation path between two adjacent slide positions of the sliding selector is shorter than a distance between two adjacent slide slots (42) and wherein each plug has an engaging cam (52) for engaging in the blocking element (49) and the blocking element (49) contains for each engaging cam (52) a recess (54) through which the engaging cam (52) may be displaced in a certain slide position of the sliding selector (44).
2. Travel plug adapter (10) according to claim 1, wherein the distance between two adjacent recesses (54) is shorter than the distance between the adjacent engaging cams (52) provided for these recesses.
3. Travel plug adapter (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the blocking element contains a comb-like blocking strip (49) with alternatingly arranged recesses (54) and blocking cams (48).
4. Travel plug adapter (10) according to claim 3, wherein the blocking strip (49) contains one more blocking cam (48) than recesses (54).
5. Travel plug adapter (10) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the blocking strip (49) is arranged displaceable essentially perpendicular to the slide slots (42).
6. Travel plug adapter (10) according to any one of claims 2 through 5, wherein at least one engaging cam (52) is connected to the corresponding plug via a guide arm (50).
7. Travel plug adapter (10) according to any of the preceding claims, in which furthermore a latch element (56) is provided that, after the first plug (34) or the second plug (36) is moved into the usage position, inhibits the movement of the sliding selector (44) between the slide positions.
8. Travel plug adapter (10) according to the preceding claim, in which in which the latch element (56) has a first functional element for cooperating with the first plug (34) and a second functional element for cooperating with the second plug (36).
9. Travel plug adapter (10) according to either of claims 7 or 8, in which the latch element has fingers (58) that can engage in receiving elements (64) that are securely connected to the housing.
10. Travel plug adapter (10) according to any of claims 7 through 9, in which the latch element (56) comprises a spring element.
11. Travel plug adapter (10) according to any of the preceding claims, in which a locking element (66) is provided that arrests at least the first plug (34) or the second plug (36) in the usage position.
12. Travel plug adapter (10) according to the preceding claim, in which the locking element is connected to a release button (40) provided outside on the housing.
13. Travel plug adapter (10) according to either of claims 11 or 12, in which the locking element is designed as separate component from the sliding selector (44).

Images