DE29708589U1 - Power supply adapter with exchangeable plug device - Google Patents

Description

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Power supply adapter with interchangeable plug device

The present invention relates to a power supply adapter, in particular a power supply adapter with an interchangeable plug device, wherein the housing of the adapter is provided with an interchangeable plug device which can be easily removed and changed for different requirements in different countries. Accordingly, a device can be easily supplied with power by providing this power supply adapter. The adapter also has a cigarette lighter plug, so that the adapter can receive power from the cigarette lighter socket.

Daily life includes a variety of indispensable portable devices that are necessary components of our lifestyle, such as mobile phones, shavers, portable cassette recorders, notebook computers, etc. Usually, these portable devices are indispensable helpers that accompany the owner in daily life and when traveling abroad. When the power supply capacity of the built-in battery runs out, it is immediately charged to resume its function. However, each country has its own regulations regarding both power supply and socket. In view of this, not every device can be charged abroad unless the regulations regarding both power supply and socket are taken into account. In the event that the regulations regarding both power supply and socket are not met, even the owner,

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who has a charging adapter for their device, do not charge it via the socket or supply it with power directly. This can be inconvenient for the user.

On the other hand, each country has a specific regulation regarding power supply. If the power supply is not suitable for the device, even the owner of a device who has a charging adapter will not be able to charge it, because the inappropriate power supply, i.e. the voltage, can affect or even damage the device. Due to its design, the adapter can only convert an AC voltage into a DC voltage if the input voltage is within a certain range. If the voltage range is incorrect, for example too low or too high, the device will be subjected to a negative influence. If the output voltage and current are too low, the device will not work properly. If the output voltage is too high, the device may be damaged or even destroyed. This will cause inconvenience to the user.

Since the regulations regarding both power supply and plug/socket differ from country to country, to meet market requirements, some adapters for devices are provided with a special adapter and plug specified for a specific location or country so that the device can be used properly in that specific area. However, these adapters are only intended for large-sized devices. For these portable devices, the adapters can only be used in a specific area where the power supply regulation is taken into account. If the owner wants to use his device in another country where the power supply regulation does not match the nominal power supply for the adapter, a different adapter must be purchased for that country.

However, a traveller cannot be expected to carry a large number of adapters for different countries.

If the power supply regulations match the nominal power supply for the adapter, the traveler is still faced with the problem of plug/socket. In principle, an adapter plug can be used to solve this problem. However, this adapter plug cannot be used in all countries. In addition, such an adapter plug has a large design and can only be carried to a limited extent. There is also the problem that the adapter plug cannot be used with every power supply.

A standard power supply can only convert AC to DC and is only suitable for indoor use. Even if a cigarette lighter plug and power adapter are available for a small device, the user must (often) rely on another power supply. This is extremely inconvenient for the user who has to travel abroad frequently.

An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply adapter with an interchangeable plug device in order to be able to take into account the different regulations both with regard to power supply and plug/socket in such a way that a portable device can be charged in a suitable manner using this power supply adapter. In addition, the problem encountered with the conventional adapter should be completely solved. In addition, it should be able to be supplied with power from the built-in battery of a vehicle via its cigarette lighter.

This object is achieved by the features of claim 1. An advantageous development of the invention is specified in claim 2.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the power adapter is provided with an electronic converter circuit, according to which different AC voltages can be input into the adapter to easily convert the input AC voltage into a DC voltage suitable for a small device. In addition, the power from a vehicle battery can serve as a power supply for the adapter, which is designed according to the invention,

To achieve the above object, the power supply adapter with interchangeable plug device comprises a housing having an upper half and a lower half. The electronic conversion circuit is arranged in this housing. The upper half of the housing is provided with a plug receptacle and both sides of the plug recess are provided with a semicircular hole. A sliding base is arranged on the outer edge of the plug recess and a shaft support is arranged in the semicircular hole. A locking button is arranged in the plug recess so that the sliding base can be moved outward by means of the locking button.

A movable and pivoting hole or pivot bearing is defined by a semi-circular hole and the shaft support can be provided by different plugs for different sockets for different countries. Once the adapter is electrically connected to a power source through the plug attached to it, the alternating current can be easily converted into

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a low direct current voltage. This allows the small device to be charged.

The lower half of the housing is provided with a tubular base in which a cigarette lighter plug can be inserted and held. By providing this cigarette lighter plug, the power from a vehicle battery can be used as a power source for the adapter according to the invention. Also, the DC voltage from the vehicle battery can be easily converted into a DC voltage that can be suitably used for the small device. In view of this, the adapter can receive power from the vehicle even outdoors. With this arrangement, the small device can easily receive operating voltage at any place. The portable device can be easily charged anywhere by providing the adapter according to the invention.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a power supply adapter through which different AC voltages fed in can be easily converted by an electrical converter circuit.

The invention is explained in more detail below using the drawing as an example; they show:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a power supply adapter according to the invention,

Fig. 2 a perspective view of this power supply seen from a different direction,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the power supply adapter,

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a plug attached to the adapter,

Fig. 5 a cross-sectional view of the extended sliding base,

Fig. 6 a cross-sectional view of the plug and a cable connection ,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a three-pin connector,

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the connector with three pins, Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the adapter with a different connector,

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the power supply adapter with protective cover,
Fig. 11 a three-pin plug with protective cover.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the housing of the power supply adapter has an upper half 1 and a lower half 6. An electronic converter circuit 3 is arranged within the housing.

The upper half 1 is provided with a plug recess 11 having a projection 111 disposed on the inside. A sliding base 112 is disposed on the outer edge of the plug recess 11, and a hole 113 is disposed adjacent to the plug recess 11. A plurality of resilient hook members 114 are disposed outside the plug recess 11. The plug recess 11 is also provided with a guide groove 115 on each side. The plug recess 11 is also provided with a pair of semicircular holes 116 on both sides. The inner wall of the upper case 1, which is provided with a stop block 12 and the plug recess 11, is provided with a slotted hole 117.

The sliding base 2 is pushed or can be pushed onto the outer edge of the plug recess 11. The front part of the

The sliding base 2 is provided with a shaft support 21 corresponding to the semicircular hole 116. Both sides of the sliding base 2 are provided with a guide block 22 so that sliding blocks 22 can be arranged within the guide groove 115 of the connector recess 11. By this arrangement, the sliding base 2 can be moved forward and backward so that the semicircular hole 116 and the shaft support 21 can be opened or closed with respect to each other. The sliding base 2 is also provided with a projecting pin 23 at the bottom. A spring element 24 is arranged between the projecting pin 23 and the stop block 12 of the upper half 1 so that the sliding base 2 can be displaced outward by means of the spring element 24. The front part of the slide base 2 is provided with a stopper plate 25, and a fixing bracket 26 is arranged at the rear part, as shown in Fig. 4. The slide groove 112 of the connector recess 11 is provided with a locking member 7 having an L-shaped short pin 71 on which a spring 72 is arranged. The other end of the spring 72 is pressed against the hole 113 of the connector recess 11 such that the upper part of the locking member 7 is clamped to the fixing bracket 26 to lock the slide base 2. When the locking member 7 is pressed down, the slide base 2 is released by the biasing force of the spring. A resilient hook 114 of the connector recess 11 is attached to the stop plate 25 of the sliding base 2 to limit the outward movement of the sliding base 2, as shown in Fig. 5.

A pair of terminals 4 are each arranged within the slotted hole 117 of the connector recess 11. The front part of the terminals 4 has a bent portion 41 corresponding to the slotted hole 117. The rear part

the connection terminals 4 are electronically connected to the electronic converter circuit 3.

A power plug 5 has a plastic housing 51 and a pair of plug pins 52 corresponding to the sockets of a power outlet. The rear part of the plastic housing 51 is provided on both sides with a projecting shaft 53 which can be pivotally mounted in the movable and pivotable hole or pivot bearing 8 defined by the shaft support 21 of the sliding base 2 and the semicircular hole of the upper housing 1. The plug pins 52 extend rearwardly so that two contact terminals 54 protrude from the rear of the plastic housing 51. When the power plug 5 is assembled due to this arrangement, the contact terminals 54 can be pivoted outwardly so as to define an electrical connection with the bent portion 41 of the connection terminals 4.

The lower half 6 of the housing is provided with a tubular base 61. The tubular base 61 is extended at a suitable lower part by a pivot base 62. The pivot base 62 is provided with a shaft hole 621. The inner part of the tubular base 61 is provided with a plurality of resilient arms 63, each of which has a projection 631. A cigarette lighter plug 64 is pivotally arranged on the pivot base 62. The bottom of the plug 64 is provided with a tubular member 641 which is perpendicular to the plug 64. A short shaft 642 is provided on both sides of the tubular member 641. The outside of the tubular member 641 is provided with a plurality of slots 643. The short shaft 642 of the tubular element 641 can be pivotally received in the shaft hole 621 of the pivot base 62. This arrangement allows the

Cigarette lighter plug 64 can be easily and pivotably arranged on the pivot base 62 of the lower half 6. On the other hand, the projection 631 of the spring arm 63 can be inserted into the slot 643 of the tubular element 641.

As shown in Fig. 6, the projecting shaft 53 of the resin housing 51 of the power plug 5 can be movably and pivotably disposed in the movable and pivotable hole 8 defined by the shaft support 21 of the sliding base 2 and the semicircular hole 116 of the upper half 1. On the other hand, the upper half 1 is provided with a plug recess 11. Therefore, when the plug 5 is pivoted in, it can be easily accommodated in the upper half 1. On the other hand, when the power plug 5 is unfolded, the contact terminals 54 disposed on the power plug 5 are electrically brought into contact with the bent portions 41 of the connection terminals 4. As a result, the input alternating current can be easily transmitted through the electronic converter circuit 3 via the plug pins 52 and the connection terminals 4. The alternating current is then converted into a specific direct current that is suitable for charging a portable device. The electronic converter circuit 3 is specially designed so that different alternating currents from different countries can be converted in a suitable manner.

In order to take into account the different regulations for the sockets of the sockets in different countries, the power plug 5, which has a pair of specially designed plug pins, can be easily exchanged so that the plug pins 52 can be easily inserted into different sockets of the sockets. In practice, the power plug 5 is first swung out and the locking element 7 is pressed down in such a way that

that it is released from the locking base 26 of the sliding base 2. The sliding base 2 can be moved outward by the biasing force of the spring 24. Then the shaft support 21 of the sliding base 2 and the semicircular hole 11 of the upper half 1 are separated from each other so that the projecting shaft 53 arranged on both sides of the power plug 5 is released, as shown in Fig. 5. Then the power plug 5 can be removed or detached and a new and suitable power plug 5 can be attached by first positioning the projecting shaft 53 on the semicircular hole 116 of the upper half 1, whereupon the sliding base 2 can be moved so that the shaft support 21 rests on the projecting shaft 53, whereby the shaft support 21 comes into meshing engagement with the semicircular hole 116. When the sliding base 2 is pushed back, the locking element 7 again engages with the locking base 2 6 of the sliding base 2 by means of the spring 72. If necessary, the power plug 5 is retrofitted and the power plug 5 is pivotally mounted in the movable and pivotable hole 8, as shown in Fig. 4. Since the shape of the plug recess 11 of the upper half 1 of the housing is adapted to the shape of all power plugs 5 in circulation, any type of power plug 5 can be easily arranged within the upper half 1. Due to this, a compact housing size (of the adapter) is achieved.

If, as shown in Fig. 7 and 8, a socket with three sockets is encountered, a plug with three pins is used. The power plug 5 is therefore designed with three pins or plug pins. A flat plastic housing 51 is provided for this power plug 5. The bottom of the plastic housing 51 is provided with a projecting flange 55 which has a positioning or alignment cutout

56. Due to this structure, the cutout 56 can be easily held on the projection 111 of the connector recess 11. The projecting base 55 arranged at the rear end of the plastic housing 51 can be brought into engagement with the front edge of the sliding base 2 when the sliding base 2 is pushed back. The contact terminals 54 of the power plug 5 can be easily pressed against the bent portion 41 of the connection terminals 4. Due to this arrangement, the three-pin power plug 5 can be easily received and stored in the connector recess 11 of the upper housing half 1. As shown in Fig. 9, the three-pin power plug 5 can be easily removed from and reattached to the upper half 1.

Since the power plug 5 can be easily replaced, the user can easily select a suitable power plug 5 for the sockets of the sockets provided in any country. By providing the electronic converter circuit 3, a portable device can be easily charged or used directly as a conventional adapter. The power plug 5 is formed with a flat housing 51 and plug pins 142. Therefore, it can be easily accommodated due to a compact size. The owner can easily use the advantages of the power supply adapter according to the invention since a portable device can be easily charged by the adapter according to the invention.

On the other hand, the output terminal of the electronic converter circuit 3 can be connected to a charging stand for a mobile phone or a charging stand for another device or even to a charging stand for rechargeable batteries . As explained above, a cigarette lighter plug 64 is provided on the lower half 6. The outside

of the tubular element 641 is provided with a plurality of slots 643, whereby the projection 631 of the spring arm 63 is received in the tubular base 61. Therefore, when the cigarette lighter plug 64 is folded out, the projection 31 can easily be pressed against the slot 643 of the plug 64 for positioning purposes, as shown in Fig. 4 and 5. When the cigarette lighter plug 64 is not used, it can easily be folded in and received in the tubular base 61 of the lower housing half 6. This also benefits the compact dimension or size of the adapter.

In use, the cigarette lighter plug 64 can be easily folded out and inserted into the cigarette lighter socket (not shown) of a motor vehicle for the purpose of power supply. Again, the electronic converter circuit 3 can easily convert the battery voltage into a DC voltage suitable for charging a portable device or for operating it. In view of this, the adapter can easily be used even outdoors to receive power from the battery via the cigarette lighter plug 64 of the lower housing half 6.

In order to prevent an electric shock resulting from an inadvertent insertion of the power plug 5 into the receptacles of a socket, a protective cover 7 is provided to protect the power plug 5 in such a way that the contact terminals 54 of the power plug 5 can be easily protected in the protective cover 7. In view of this, an electric shock can be easily avoided. In the case of a plug with three pins, a further protective cover 7" may be provided as shown in Fig. 11.

The present invention enables a user to use the power plug or adapter outdoors as well as indoors due to different power plugs provided in the adapter, including a cigarette lighter plug.

Claims (2)

Expectations 1. Power supply adapter with an exchangeable plug device, having an upper and a lower half, an electronic converter circuit arranged in the housing, the upper half being provided with a plug recess suitable for receiving plugs of different types, a cigarette lighter plug being arranged in the lower half for receiving power from a motor vehicle, characterized in that the upper half is provided with a plug recess having a projection arranged on the inside, a sliding base arranged on the outer edge of the plug recess, and a hole arranged adjacent to the recess, a plurality of resilient hook elements being arranged outside the plug recess, the plug arrangement also being provided with a guide groove on both sides, the plug recess also being provided with a pair of semicircular holes on both sides of the plug recess, the inner wall of the upper housing being provided with a stop block, and the The plug recess is provided with a slotted hole, a sliding base is slidably mounted on the outer edge of the plug recess, the front portion of the sliding base being provided with a shaft support corresponding to the semicircular hole, both sides of the sliding base being provided with guide blocks such that the guide blocks can be arranged in the guide groove of the plug recess, due to this arrangement the sliding socket can be moved back and forth in such a way that the semicircular hole and the shaft support can be brought into contact with or separated from each other or can be opened or closed, wherein the sliding socket is further provided with a projecting pin at the bottom, a spring element arranged between the projecting pin and the stop block of the upper half, wherein the sliding socket can be displaced outwards by means of the spring element, wherein the front part of the sliding socket is provided with a stop plate, and wherein a fastening support is arranged at the rear part, wherein the sliding groove of the plug recess is provided with a locking element which has an L-shaped short pin which is provided with a spring, wherein the other end of the spring is pressed against the hole of the plug recess in such a way that the upper part of the locking element comes into engagement with the fastening support to lock the sliding socket, wherein when the locking element is depressed, the sliding socket is moved by the Preload force provided by the spring, wherein a spring hook of the plug recess is attached to the stop plate (25) of the sliding base to limit the outward movement of the sliding base, a pair of terminals are each arranged in the slotted hole of the connector recess, a front part of the terminals having a bent portion corresponding to the slotted hole, the rear part of the terminals being electronically connected to the electronic converter circuit,
a power plug has a plastic housing which has a pair of pins which receive the · sockets of the socket, the rear part of the plastic housing being provided on both sides with a projecting shaft which is pivotally arranged in the movable and pivotable hole defined by the shaft support of the sliding base and the semicircular hole of the upper housing, the plug pins extending in the rear direction so that two contact terminals protrude from the rear of the plastic housing, when the power plug is assembled, the contact terminals can be pivoted out so that they define an electrical connection with the bent portion of the connection terminals, and the lower half of the housing being provided with a tubular base which is extended with a pivotable base at a suitable lower part, the pivotable base being provided with a shaft hole, the inner part of the tubular base being provided with a plurality of spring arms, each of which is provided with a projection, a cigarette lighter plug being pivotally arranged on the pivotable base, the The bottom of the plug is provided with a tubular element which runs perpendicular to the cigarette lighter plug, a short shaft being arranged on both sides of the tubular element, the outside of the tubular element being provided with a plurality of slots, the short shaft of the tubular element being able to be pivotally received in the shaft hole of the pivotable base, the cigarette lighter plug being able to be easily and pivotably arranged on or at the pivotable base of the lower half, on the other hand, the projection of the spring arm being able to be inserted into the slot of the tubular element. • * 2. A power adapter with a removable plug device according to claim 1, wherein the power plug is provided with three pins or plug pins, wherein the power plug has a flat plastic housing, and wherein the bottom of the plastic housing is provided with a projecting flange having a positioning cutout, wherein the cutout can be easily held on the projecting pin of the plug recess, wherein the projecting pin arranged at the rear end of the plastic housing can be brought into engagement with the front edge of the sliding base when the sliding base is pushed back, and wherein the contact terminals of the power plug can be easily pressed against the bent portion of the connection terminals, wherein the power plug with three pins can be easily received and stored in the plug recess of the upper half.