CN220272919U - Charging device - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a charging device comprising a cable (40), a first connector (42) connected to a first end of the cable (40), a connector assembly connected to a second end of the cable (40), a housing (60) provided with a receiving cavity (62). The connector assembly includes a second connector (44) and a third connector (46) connected as a single unit. The connector assembly is received in the receiving cavity (62) and is reciprocally movable relative to the housing (60) between a first position and a second position; when the connector assembly is in the first position, the second connector (44) can be plugged with an external device, and the third connector (46) cannot be plugged with an external device; when the connector assembly is in the second position, the second connector (44) is not capable of plugging with an external device, and the third connector (46) is capable of plugging with an external device. The charging device can be suitable for equipment with different interfaces and has lower cost.

Description

Charging device

[ field of technology ]

The present disclosure relates to charging devices, and particularly to a charging device with multiple connectors.

[ background Art ]

Conventional charging cords have two connectors (e.g., both Type-C male) and a cable connected in series between the two connectors. One of the connectors is for plugging into a charger (also called an adapter) and the other connector is plugged into a charged device such as a cell phone. A disadvantage of such a cable is that one charging cord can only be used for one interface type of charged device. If the user carries the equipment with different interfaces out, a plurality of charging wires are needed to be carried.

Fig. 1 shows a prior art modification, in which the charging cord is provided with a first connector 22 at one end of the cable 20 and with a second connector 24 and a third connector 26 at the other end. The first connector 22 is pluggable to a charger, and the second connector 24 and the third connector 26 are pluggable to different interface types of charged devices. The advantage of this solution is that one charging wire can be adapted to both interface types of charged devices. One disadvantage of this solution is that the cables are bulky and the third connector 26 and its cables may interfere with the user when using the second connector 24, which is not convenient and elegant. Another disadvantage of this solution is that no quick charge is possible. The reason that the quick charging cannot be performed is that the existing quick charging scheme is realized by improving the output voltage of the charger after the charged equipment and the charger negotiate according to the quick charging protocol, for example, the charger defaults to output the charging voltage of 5V, and after the charged equipment is communicated with the charger through a charging wire, the charger improves the charging voltage from the defaults of 5V to 20V through negotiation. If the second connector 24 is rapidly charged to raise the voltage to 20V, the third connector 26 is also pulled up to 20V because the second connector 24 and the third connector 26 are in parallel connection, and when the user connects the third connector 26 to another charged device, the charged device is easily damaged due to the excessively high voltage. Therefore, in order to avoid damaging the user's equipment, the charging cord shown in fig. 1 does not provide a quick charging function, but allows all charged devices to be charged only at a default voltage of 5V.

Fig. 2 shows another modification. In the scheme, a charging management module 23 is added on the basis of the scheme shown in fig. 1, and the charging management module 23 manages charging of the second connector 24 and the third connector 26, for example, initial voltages of the second connector 24 and the third connector 26 are maintained at 5V so as to avoid burning devices of users. The scheme still has the defects of large volume, inconvenient use and elegance. Another disadvantage of this solution is that the charge management module 23 is often provided with costly chips and/or circuit components, resulting in a high cost.

Fig. 3 shows a further development. This embodiment is based on the embodiment shown in fig. 1, with the addition of a fourth connector 29, a switching structure and a connecting piece 27. The fourth connector 29 is in communication with the third connector 26 via a switching structure, the three forming a whole which is connected to the second connector 24 or the cable 20 via a connection 27. The fourth connector 29 is insertable to the second connector 24 so as to bring the second connector 24 into conduction with the third connector 26. That is, the second connector 24 and the third connector 26 are alternatively used. The advantage of this solution is that a fast charging function can be provided. One disadvantage of this solution is that it is bulky, inconvenient and elegant to use; the second disadvantage is the high cost, since the fourth connector 29, the switching structure and the connection member 27 are added; the third disadvantage is that the reliability is not good enough, on the one hand, the connection member 27 is easily pulled to break, resulting in the loss of the fourth connector 29, the conversion structure and the first connector 26 as a whole, and on the other hand, the third connector 26 needs to be electrically connected to the second connector 24 through the conversion structure, the fourth connector 29, and the path is too long.

[ utility model ]

It is an object of the present application to provide a device which is relatively low cost and which can be adapted to different interface types.

To this end, the utility model provides a charging device comprising a cable, a first connector connected to a first end of the cable, further comprising: a connector assembly connected to the second end of the cable, the connector assembly including a second connector and a third connector connected as one unit, the second connector being electrically connected to the first connector by the cable, the third connector being electrically connected to the first connector by the cable; a housing having a receiving cavity, the connector assembly being received in the receiving cavity and reciprocally movable relative to the housing between a first position and a second position; when the connector assembly is in the first position, the second connector extends relative to the housing so as to be capable of being plugged with an external device, and the third connector retracts relative to the housing so as to be incapable of being plugged with an external device; when the connector assembly is in the second position, the second connector is retracted relative to the housing so as not to be pluggable to an external device, and the third connector is extended relative to the housing so as to be pluggable to an external device.

In one embodiment of the utility model, further comprising a positioning structure for stabilizing the connector assembly in the first position and/or the second position; the positioning structure comprises a positioning convex part arranged at one of the shell and the connector assembly and a positioning concave part arranged at the other of the shell and the connector assembly; the positioning protrusion may enter the positioning recess to achieve positioning, and may leave the positioning recess to release positioning.

In one embodiment of the utility model, the positioning recess comprises a first positioning recess and a second positioning recess; when the connector assembly is in the first position, the positioning protrusion (48) enters the first positioning recess; the locating projection (48) enters the second locating recess when the connector assembly is in the second position.

In one embodiment of the utility model, the positioning boss comprises a first positioning boss and a second positioning boss; when the connector assembly is positioned at the first position, the first positioning convex part is clamped with the positioning concave part; when the connector assembly is located at the second position, the second positioning convex part is clamped with the positioning concave part.

In one embodiment of the present utility model, the connector further comprises a limiting structure, wherein the limiting structure comprises a first limiting part arranged at one of the shell and the connector assembly and a second limiting part arranged at the other of the shell and the connector assembly; mechanical interference of the first and second limit portions defines a range of reciprocation of the connector assembly relative to the housing.

In one embodiment of the utility model, the first limit stop includes a limit tab extending outwardly from the connector assembly, and the second limit stop includes a through hole provided to the housing; the limit projection is reciprocally slidable within the through bore with reciprocal movement of the connector assembly.

In one embodiment of the utility model, the second end of the cable is connected to the limit projection.

In one embodiment of the present utility model, the connector assembly is elongated, and the second connector and the third connector are respectively located at two ends of the connector assembly; the limit projection extends outwardly from the middle of the connector assembly to form a T-shape with the connector assembly.

In one embodiment of the utility model, the cable is provided with a negotiation wire core for negotiating charging power to increase the charging power, and the first connector is provided with a terminal electrically connected with the negotiation wire core; the second connector and/or the third connector are/is provided with terminals which are in conductive connection with the negotiation wire core.

In one embodiment of the present utility model, the first connector is a USB a male connector or a USB Type-C male connector; the second connector and the third connector are connectors of different types and are selected from the following ranges: USB Type-C male connector, lightning male connector, mini B male connector, micro B male connector.

The charging device provided by the utility model is provided with the second connector and the third connector, so that the charging device can be suitable for different devices; the second connector and the third connector are connected into a whole, so that the reliability is high and the cost is low; the connector assembly formed by the second connector and the third connector can be accommodated in the shell and can reciprocate relative to the shell, and the connector assembly is small in size, convenient to use and elegant.

[ description of the drawings ]

For a further disclosure of the present utility model, reference is first made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 to 3 are schematic views of a conventional, different type of charging device;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a charging device according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the connector assembly of the charging device of FIG. 4 in a first position;

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the connector assembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the connector assembly of the charging device of FIG. 4 in a second position;

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of the connector assembly of FIG. 7;

fig. 9 and 10 are exploded views of the connector assembly of the charging device of fig. 4 from different viewing directions.

[ detailed description ] of the utility model

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present utility model will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to fig. 4, a charging device 100 according to an embodiment of the utility model includes a cable 40, a first connector 42 connected to a first end of the cable 40, a connector assembly connected to a second end of the cable 40, and a housing 60 accommodating the connector assembly. The connector assembly includes a second connector 44 and a third connector 46, the second connector 44 and the third connector 46 being connected as a single unit. The second connector 44 is electrically connected to the first connector 42 by the cable 40, and the third connector 46 is electrically connected to the first connector 42 by the cable 40. It is understood that the cable 40 may be provided with a set of cores for common use with the second connector 44 and the third connector 46; alternatively, the cable 40 may be provided with two sets of cores for the second connector 44 and the third connector 46, respectively, which may be independent of each other, or a part of the cores may be shared.

The housing 60 is provided with a receiving cavity 62 (see fig. 9 and 10), and the connector assembly is received in the receiving cavity 62. The outer wall of the housing 60 is provided with a through hole 61 communicated with the accommodating cavity 62, and the through hole 61 can be used for allowing the second end of the cable 40 to enter so as to be electrically connected with the second connector 44 and the third connector 46. The connector assembly is reciprocally movable within the receiving cavity 62 relative to the housing 60 between a first position and a second position, and fig. 5 and 7 are schematic illustrations of the connector assembly in the first and second positions.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, when the connector assembly is in the first position, the second connector 44 extends relative to the housing 60 to enable mating with an external device, and the third connector 46 retracts relative to the housing to disable mating with an external device. Specifically, when the connector assembly is in the first position, the extension length L1 of the second connector 44 relative to the housing 60 meets the relevant specification requirements to enable plugging with external devices; and the extension L2 of the third connector 46 is not long enough to be plugged into an external device. It is understood that the overhanging length L2 may be 0 or a negative value, and that the overhanging length L2 is 0 indicates that the outer end of the third connector 46 is flush with the housing 60, and that the overhanging length L2 is a negative value indicates that the outer end of the third connector 46 is retracted into the housing 60, and in any case, the present utility model is not limited to what the overhanging length L2 is, but only needs that the overhanging length L2 of the third connector 46 is not long enough or blocked by the housing 60 to be plugged into an external device. Similarly, the extension length L1 may be 0 or negative, and the present utility model is not limited to the value of the extension length L1, but only needs to be long enough or not obstructed by the housing 60 to plug into an external device.

In this embodiment, the second connector 44 and the third connector 46 are fixedly connected as a whole, and the second connector 44 and the third connector 46 are hard-connected. However, the present utility model is not limited to this case, and the second connector 44 and the third connector 46 need only be movable as a whole.

Referring to fig. 7 and 8, when the connector assembly is in the second position, the second connector 44 is retracted relative to the housing 60 so as not to be plugged with an external device, and the third connector 46 is extended relative to the housing 60 so as to be plugged with an external device. Specifically, when the connector assembly is in the second position, the extension length L4 of the third connector 46 relative to the housing 60 meets the relevant specification requirements to enable plugging with an external device; and the overhanging length L3 of the second connector 44 is not long enough to be plugged with an external device. It is understood that the overhanging length L4 may be 0 or negative, and that the overhanging length L4 is 0 indicates that the outer end of the third connector 46 is flush with the housing 60, and that the overhanging length L2 is negative indicates that the outer end of the third connector 46 is retracted into the housing 60, and in any case, the utility model is not limited to what the overhanging length L4 is, and only the overhanging length L4 of the third connector 46 is long enough or not obstructed by the housing 60 to be plugged into an external device. Similarly, the extension length L3 may be 0 or negative, and the present utility model is not limited to the value of the extension length L3, but only needs that the extension length L1 of the second connector 44 is not long enough or blocked by the housing 60 to be plugged into an external device.

Thus, in the present utility model, the "extension" of the second and third connectors relative to the housing 60 is understood to mean that the extension length of the connectors may be positive, 0, and negative; accordingly, the "retraction" of the second and third connectors relative to the housing 60 is understood to mean that the extension length of the connectors may be positive, 0, and negative.

With the foregoing arrangement, it is achieved that the second connector 44 and the third connector 46 are used alternatively, that is, although the second connector 44 is electrically connected to the first connector 42 through the cable 40 and the third connector 46 is also electrically connected to the first connector 42 through the cable 40, the second connector 44 and the third connector 46 cannot be plugged to an external device at the same time.

In this embodiment, the housing 60 is elongated, and the first and second positions are located at different positions along the length of the housing 60. But the utility model should not be limited to this case. For example, the first and second positions may be different positions in a certain rotational direction of the housing 60. Thus, in the present utility model, the "reciprocal movement" of the connector assembly between the first position and the second position is understood to mean that the connector assembly is movable to said first position and to said second position, and is not limited to a form of movement and a direction of movement, for example, a form of movement may be linear movement, continued rotation in the same direction, rotation in a different direction, or the like.

The charging device 100 is also provided with a limit structure for limiting the range of motion of the connector assembly relative to the housing 60. The limiting structure comprises a first limiting part arranged on one of the shell 60 and the connector assembly and a second limiting part arranged on the other of the shell and the connector assembly. The mechanical interference of the first and second limit portions defines the range of reciprocation of the connector assembly relative to the housing 60. In the present utility model, "mechanical interference" means that one of the components is blocked by the other component. In this embodiment, the first stopper portion includes a stopper protrusion 41 protruding outward from the connector assembly, and the second stopper portion includes a through hole 61 provided to the housing 60. The limit projection 41 is reciprocally slidable within the through hole 61 in response to reciprocal movement of the connector assembly. The through hole 61 is elongated and the limit projection 41 is blocked by the wall of the through hole 61 to limit the range of movement of the connector assembly relative to the housing 60.

In this embodiment, the connector assembly is elongated, and the second connector 44 and the third connector 46 are respectively located at two ends of the connector assembly. The stop tab 41 extends outwardly from the middle of the connector assembly to form a T-shape with the connector assembly. The limit projection 41 is flat to fit with the flat through hole 61, enhancing the stability of the connector assembly. The second end of the cable 40 is connected to the limit projection 41.

Referring to fig. 9 and 10, the charging device 100 is further provided with a positioning structure for stabilizing the connector assembly in the first position and/or the second position. The positioning structure includes a positioning protrusion provided at one of the housing 60 and the connector assembly, and a positioning recess provided at the other of the housing 60 and the connector assembly. In this embodiment, the connector assembly outer surface is provided with the positioning protrusion 48, and the cavity wall of the housing cavity 62 of the housing 60 is provided with the first positioning recess 68 and the second positioning recess 69. When the connector assembly is in the first position, the first positioning concave portion 68 is clamped with the positioning convex portion 48; when the connector assembly is in the second position, the second positioning concave portion 69 is engaged with the positioning convex portion 48. When the connector assembly moves from the first position to the second position, the positioning protrusion 48 disengages from the first positioning recess 68 and slides into the second positioning recess 69. Preferably, the positioning concave part is a smooth concave, so that the positioning convex part can slide out conveniently; the positioning convex part is provided with a smooth transition surface so as to conveniently slide out of the positioning concave part. In this embodiment, the housing 60 includes an upper shell 66 and a lower shell 67, and the upper shell 66 and the lower shell 67 are snap-fastened together and form the receiving cavity 62 therein. A first positioning recess 68 and a second positioning recess 69 are provided in the lower case 67.

In one alternative, the locating boss includes a first locating boss and a second locating boss; when the connector assembly is positioned at the first position, the first positioning convex part is clamped with the positioning concave part; when the connector assembly is located at the second position, the second positioning convex part is clamped with the positioning concave part.

Understandably, the positioning boss may be one or more than one; the detent recess may also be one or more than one. In the case where there is only one of the positioning protrusion and the positioning recess, the engagement of the two stabilizes the connector assembly in the first position or the second position.

In the present embodiment, the cable 40 is provided with a negotiation core for negotiating the charging power to increase the charging power. The first connector 42 is provided with terminals in conductive connection with the negotiation wire core, the second connector 44 is provided with terminals in conductive connection with the negotiation wire core, and the third connector 46 is also provided with terminals in conductive connection with the negotiation wire core. In this way, when the first connector 42 is plugged into the charging head (i.e. the power adapter) supporting the quick charging and the second connector 44 is plugged into the external device, the external device can perform the charging negotiation through the negotiation wire core, so as to improve the charging power and realize the quick charging; at this time, the third connector 46 is retracted relative to the housing 60 so as not to be plugged into an external device, and there is no fear that the third connector 46 damages the external device because the initial voltage is too high. Similarly, when the first connector 42 is plugged into a charging head (i.e., a power adapter) supporting quick charging and the third connector 46 is plugged into an external device, the external device can perform charging negotiation through the negotiation wire core, so that the charging power is improved, and quick charging is realized; at this time, the second connector 44 is retracted relative to the housing 60 so as not to be plugged into an external device, and there is no fear that the second connector 44 will initially be too high to damage the external device. Thus, by implementing the present utility model, both the second connector 44 and the third connector 46 can be realized to support quick-charging, and damage to external devices can be avoided without a management circuit/management chip. In addition, since the second connector 44 and the third connector 46 are alternatively used, a management circuit/management chip is not required to manage the output power of the second connector 44 and the third connector 46.

It will be appreciated that in the case where the cable 40 is provided with a negotiation wire for negotiating charging power to increase charging power, and the first connector 42 is provided with a terminal electrically connected to the negotiation wire, a terminal electrically connected to the negotiation wire may be provided at one of the second connector 44 and the third connector 46, and the other connector may not be provided with a terminal electrically connected to the negotiation wire. Further, the cable 40 may not be provided with a negotiation core, and each connector may not be provided with a terminal electrically connected to the negotiation core. That is, the present utility model can be applied to an occasion that does not have a quick-charge function.

In the present embodiment, the first connector 42 is a USB Type-C male connector, but the present utility model is not limited to this case, and for example, the first connector 42 may be any kind of male connector or female connector, such as a USB a male connector. The second connector 44, the third connector 46 are respectively a USB Type-C male connector and a lightning male connector, but the present utility model is not limited to this case. The second connector 44 and the third connector 46 may be the same type of connector or different types of connectors; the connector can be a male connector or a female connector. Preferably, the second connector 44, the third connector 46 are different types of connectors selected from the following ranges: USB Type-C male connector, lightning male connector, mini B male connector, micro B male connector.

The above examples only represent a few embodiments of the present application, which are described in more detail and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present application. It should be noted that it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements could be made without departing from the spirit of the present application, which would be within the scope of the present application. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present application is to be determined by the claims appended hereto.

Claims (10)

1. A charging device comprising a cable, a first connector connected to a first end of the cable, further comprising:

a connector assembly connected to the second end of the cable, the connector assembly including a second connector and a third connector connected as one unit, the second connector being electrically connected to the first connector by the cable, the third connector being electrically connected to the first connector by the cable;

a housing having a receiving cavity, the connector assembly being received in the receiving cavity and reciprocally movable relative to the housing between a first position and a second position; when the connector assembly is in the first position, the second connector extends relative to the housing so as to be capable of being plugged with an external device, and the third connector retracts relative to the housing so as to be incapable of being plugged with an external device; when the connector assembly is in the second position, the second connector is retracted relative to the housing so as not to be pluggable to an external device, and the third connector is extended relative to the housing so as to be pluggable to an external device.

2. The charging device of claim 1, further comprising a positioning structure for stabilizing the connector assembly in the first position and/or the second position; the positioning structure comprises a positioning convex part arranged at one of the shell and the connector assembly and a positioning concave part arranged at the other of the shell and the connector assembly; the positioning protrusion may enter the positioning recess to achieve positioning, and may leave the positioning recess to release positioning.

3. The charging device of claim 2, wherein the positioning recess comprises a first positioning recess and a second positioning recess; when the connector assembly is positioned at the first position, the positioning convex part enters the first positioning concave part; when the connector assembly is located at the second position, the locating convex part enters the second locating concave part.

4. The charging device of claim 2, wherein the positioning boss comprises a first positioning boss and a second positioning boss; when the connector assembly is positioned at the first position, the first positioning convex part is clamped with the positioning concave part; when the connector assembly is located at the second position, the second positioning convex part is clamped with the positioning concave part.

5. The charging device of claim 1, further comprising a limit structure comprising a first limit portion disposed on one of the housing and the connector assembly, and a second limit portion disposed on the other of the housing and the connector assembly; mechanical interference of the first and second limit portions defines a range of reciprocation of the connector assembly relative to the housing.

6. The charging device of claim 5, wherein the first limit portion comprises a limit tab extending outwardly from the connector assembly, and the second limit portion comprises a through hole provided to the housing; the limit projection is reciprocally slidable within the through bore with reciprocal movement of the connector assembly.

7. The charging device of claim 6, wherein the second end of the cable is connected to the limit protrusion.

8. The charging device of claim 6, wherein the connector assembly is elongate, the second connector and the third connector being located at respective ends of the connector assembly; the limit projection extends outwardly from the middle of the connector assembly to form a T-shape with the connector assembly.

9. The charging device according to claim 1, wherein the cable is provided with a negotiation core for negotiating charging power to increase charging power, and the first connector is provided with a terminal electrically connected with the negotiation core; the second connector and/or the third connector are/is provided with terminals which are in conductive connection with the negotiation wire core.

10. The charging device of claim 1, wherein the first connector is a USB a male connector or a USB Type-C male connector; the second connector and the third connector are connectors of different types and are selected from the following ranges: USB Type-C male connector, lightning male connector, mini B male connector, micro B male connector.