Patent Application
20090227122
Many consumer products and portable electronic devices need to convert an AC (alternating current) power input provided by electrical mains or power lines in a home or office into a DC (direct current) power output that is required to operate the device's circuitry or, in the case of portable electronic devices, charge an internal rechargeable battery. An external AC power adapter is often used for such a purpose which is typically configured to house the AC energized components in a secure manner to safeguard against injury that may result from inadvertent user contact.
In addition to performing its primary function of converting an AC input into a DC output having characteristics suitable for the device's circuitry or battery, an external AC power adaptor enables the electronic device to be made smaller and lighter because the size and weight of the AC power adapter circuitry, along with its housing or other safety features, is located outside of the device.
With the widespread popularity of electronic devices, users are increasingly incorporating multiple devices into their lifestyles. In the case of portable electronic devices that utilize rechargeable batteries, users often find themselves needing to recharge the batteries every day. This can result in a situation where multiple AC adapters must share the same power strip or wall outlet. As the AC adapters can be bulky in size, they often compete for space and can end up crowding any open outlet and thus prevent other adapters from being plugged in. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an AC power adapter form factor that can be used with crowded outlets and in small spaces.
AC adapters are also desired that can better meet the needs of international travelers. In this situation, travelers must cope with power outlet configurations that vary throughout the world.
This Background is provided to introduce a brief context for the Summary and Detailed Description that follow. This Background is not intended to be an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter nor be viewed as limiting the claimed subject matter to implementations that solve any or all of the disadvantages or problems presented above.
An AC power adapter is provided in a compact form factor that utilizes an AC plug that swivels about the body of the adapter and that includes prongs (i.e., electrical contacts or terminals) which can fold into the body for transport or storage. The swiveling AC plug enables the body of the AC power adapter to be rotatably oriented in a user-selectable manner in order to fit in tight spaces when plugged in to maximize the utilization of available outlets. The foldable prongs help to minimize the overall size of the AC power adapter for easy portability and storage. When folded, the prongs are protected against damage and are prevented from damaging or scratching other articles when the AC power adapter is packed in a bag or suitcase during travel.
In various illustrative examples, the AC power adapter is configured with worldwide voltage handling capability along with a user-detachable and interchangeable face plate that incorporates the swiveling AC plug with folding prongs. International travelers can readily swap face plates having different plug types without tools so that the AC power adapter with an appropriate prong arrangement can be plugged into a local outlet. Utilization of the detachable and interchangeable face plate can also improve manufacturing and distribution efficiency for AC power adapters that are sold on a multi-region or worldwide basis. A commonly-utilizable AC power adapter body design may be manufactured for all markets while being easily configurable to meet the needs of a given region by the addition of a region-specific faceplate/AC plug to the commonly-utilizable body.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Like reference numerals indicate like elements in the drawings. Elements are not drawn to scale unless otherwise indicated.
A power conversion circuit is contained within the body 125 of the AC power adapter that performs the AC to DC power conversion. The power conversion circuit commonly is configured with worldwide power conversion capability so that it outputs an intended (i.e., designed-for) nominal DC power with variable input AC power. For example, the AC power adapter 100 may be configured to be usable with the two basic standards for AC line voltage: the North American standard of 110-120 V at 60 Hz, and the European standard of 220-250 V at 50 Hz.
The prongs 105 are male electrical connectors that interface mechanically and electrically with corresponding mating female connectors in an AC outlet. Prongs are also commonly referred to as pins, contacts, or terminals. In this example, the prongs 105 interface with respective live (i.e., “hot”) and neutral connectors in the AC outlet using an unpolarized plug configuration where both prongs 105 are the same width (from top to bottom in
The prongs 105 here comprise two flat parallel blades that are configured in compliance with NEMA 1-15 (National Electrical Manufacturers Association), CSA-C22.2 No. 42 (Canadian Standards Association), and JIS C 8303 (Japanese Industrial Standard). Prongs 105 are also referred to as a Type A connector or plug. In alternative embodiments, other prong and plug arrangements, for example the Type C Europlug, may also be utilized as described below in the text accompanying
The AC power adapter body 125 is typically configured as a sealed resilient assembly to protect the energized power conversion circuitry. The body 125 also isolates such components as energized components from children, pets, and the like that may unknowingly attempt to access the components. The prongs 105 are commonly configured to project from the body 125 so that the AC power “plug” functionality is integrated within the body 125. While a separate plug may be utilized, which is typically coupled with a wire carrying AC power to the body configured as “brick”, an integrated plug and body configuration is commonly used to minimize cost of the AC power adapter.
While AC power adapters with integrated plug and body are satisfactory in many situations, one significant drawback is that they tend to be bulky so that it can be difficult to find space around an AC outlet to plug them in. For example,
As shown in
Referring now to
The swiveling plug 302 is configured to be rotatably coupled to the AC power adapter 300 so that the user may variably orient the adapter with respect to the prongs 305, and accordingly, with respect to an outlet to which the AC adapter 300 is plugged in. In this example, the plug 302 is arranged to swivel approximately 90 degrees as shown in
The swiveling feature enables the long axis of the AC power adapter 300 to be oriented either in parallel or orthogonally with the long axis of a wall outlet or power strip, for example, as shown in
In alternative implementations, the swiveling plug 302 may be arranged to swivel beyond 90 degrees. For example, as shown in
Another significant feature is the ability of the prongs 305 to be folded into the AC power adapter 300 for storage or when transported. As shown in
When folded into the recess 312, the prongs 305 are protected against damage and are prevented from damaging or scratching other articles when the AC power adapter 300 is packed in a bag or suitcase, for example, during travel. (It is noted at this point that the designations of “front,” “top,” “bottom,” “back” and similar terms are applied to the AC power adapter when oriented so that the line of sight of a viewer is parallel to the prongs 305 when extended. Accordingly, in the isometric views of
The foldable prongs 305 are configured to pivot back and forth about a hinge having an axis that is orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the plug 302 in response to force applied by a user's fingers. Accordingly the recess 312 is further shaped to enable a user to insert a finger into the recess to pull the prongs 305 up into their extended position. Similarly, the user can swivel the plug 302 into a desired orientation by grasping the prongs 305 and rotating them and the plug 302 with respect to the body of the adapter 300. An alternative way to rotate the plug is for the user to extend the prongs 305, plug the AC power adapter 300 into an outlet, and then rotate the body of the adapter about the fixed prongs 305 into the desired orientation. While the foldable prongs will typically be desired for most implementations of the present AC power adapter, it is possible in alternative implementations to use fixedly positioned prongs that are not arranged to be foldable.
In this illustrative example, the AC power adapter 300 is arranged to use a detachable DC power cable. In many implementations, the DC power cord also serves double duty as a data cable to enable electronic devices such as personal media players to operatively communicate with other devices like personal computers (“PCs”), for example, to synchronize data and/or share media content like music, video, and pictures. However, in other implementations it may be desirable to forgo the data-carry capability and utilize a cable that only provides DC power. In addition, it may be desirable to use a fixed (i.e., non-detachable) cable configuration in some applications.
As shown in
As noted above, the swiveling plug 302 enables the AC power adapter 300 to fit compactly into available spaces and take up less room than conventional adapters.
As shown in
Another device connector (not shown) is also located at the bottom of a well 1310 in the dock 1305 to interface with a mating connector in the personal media player 1215. The dock 1305 may generally be used to position the docked personal media player 1215 so that the player's display may be readily seen and the controls conveniently accessed by a user. While the dock 1305 may be used when the personal media player 1215 is being charged by the AC power adapter 3003, another common use of the dock is to conveniently position the personal media player 1215 when it is being synchronized with a PC 1326. In this case, the USB plug 909 of the sync cable is plugged into an available USB port 1330 on the PC 1326 as indicated by the dashed line 1336.
The AC-DC power conversion circuits 1402 and 1502 may comprise one or more circuits as may be required to convert AC power received from the prongs 305 when plugged in an AC source to DC power according to specifications (e.g., voltage and amperage) that are required to meet the given design parameters for a particular application. In this regard, the AC-DC power conversion circuits 1402 and 1502 may be arranged conventionally according to known principles. Note that the connection between the prongs 305 and AC-DC power conversion circuits 1402 and 1502 is not shown for sake of clarity of illustration in
The body 918 and detachable faceplate 1410 will typically be formed from a resilient material such as polymer using a molding process. As both the body 918 and detachable faceplate 1410 contain energized components when the AC power adapter 300 is plugged in and functioning, they are generally configured to be capable of withstanding a variety of physical stresses, including drops, impacts, spills, and so forth. In addition, in some situations the adapter 300 will be placed on the floor, or behind furniture, etc., under uncontrolled and unobserved conditions, the AC-DC power conversion circuit (e.g., 1402, 1502) will be substantially sealed and encased in the resilient body 918 to prevent inadvertent contact with any energized component or circuitry.
Installation of a faceplate normally requires the faceplate 1410 be aligned with the body 918 and then pressed into place, typically with light finger pressure until it locks into place. Tactile feedback and an audible click will ordinarily indicate to the user that the faceplate is properly installed. In some cases, keyways, bosses, or guides may be utilized to facilitate the appropriate registration and alignment of the respective components, and/or to ensure that the faceplate 1410 can only be installed one way with the desired orientation to the body 918.
It is emphasized that the use of a release button on the front face of the faceplate is illustrative and that other configurations and means for enabling the faceplate to be removably attachable to the body 918 may be utilized. In alternative arrangements, it may be desirable to forgo the removable attachability feature, or to limit the interchangeability to factory or distribution environments only, for example, so that the faceplates are not ordinarily interchangeable in the field.
The female socket connectors 1720 are typically configured so that the conductive elements are recessed within the resilient polymer body of the faceplate in a similar manner as the conductors are recessed in a standard wall outlet. This ensures that energized elements are isolated and will not be inadvertently touched by a user in the event that the body 918 becomes detached from the faceplate 1410 while the prongs 305 remained plugged into an AC outlet, or a user plugs only the prongs in the faceplate itself 1410 (without a coupled body 918) into the outlet.
A variety of interchangeable and detachable faceplates having different plug configurations may be implemented and utilized.
Other plug types with two prongs usable with the present arrangement could include, for example, Type D, Type F, and Type I plugs. Faceplates with plugs utilizing three prong plugs such as Type J and may also be implemented in some cases, although foldable three-prong arrangements (in cases where the three-prongs are not substantially or approximately co-planar such as Type G, Type H, and Type K plugs) will not typically be as desirable as their two-prong counterparts because of the size of the faceplate would necessarily be increased to accommodate the folding feature. However, such three-prong plugs may still be arranged to swivel and thus enable the benefits thereto.
In addition to providing an easily user-configurable AC power adapter that can be used to power and charge devices used by international travelers, the manufacturing, inventorying, and distribution for the present AC power adapter may be made more efficient or simplified through utilization of the interchangeable detachable faceplates. Manufacturing dynamics and economics are improved because the body 918 of the AC power adapter, which contains the higher value power conversion circuit 1402 (with International power-handling capability), is commonly utilized by all adapters intended for sale in worldwide markets. Region-specific faceplates with AC plug types that match the configuration of local outlets can be manufactured, inventoried, assembled to AC power adapter bodies, and distributed according to demand for that particular product. This advantageously reduces the number of different variations in AC power adapters that are produced to address worldwide markets.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
