Electrical plug

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11575232-B2
Application number	US-202117470837-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2021
Priority date	May 7, 2021
Publication date	Feb 7, 2023
Grant date	Feb 7, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an electrical plug including a first temperature detection element and a second temperature detection element. When the processor determines that the temperature of the contact pins is greater than or equal to a temperature threshold according to a first detection signal outputted by the first temperature detection element and a second detection signal outputted by the second temperature detection element, the processor disables the electrical plug to transmit the input power to a load. When one of the temperature detection elements fails, the electrical plug determines whether the temperature of the electrical plug is greater than or equal to the temperature threshold according to the other one of the temperature detection elements. The electrical plug meets the redundant design required for functional safety to avoid unexpected hazards caused by the failure of a single temperature detection element. Therefore, the stability of the electrical plug is enhanced.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical plug, detachably coupled to a socket of a load, the electrical plug comprising:
a casing;
a plurality of contact pins disposed on the casing and configured to plug into the socket so as to provide an input power required by the socket;
a power cable connected with the plurality of contact pins and configured to transmit the input power to the load through the socket when the electrical plug is coupled to the socket and the electrical plug is in a normal state;
a circuit board disposed in the casing;
a first temperature detection element disposed on the circuit board and adjacent to the plurality of contact pins, wherein the first temperature detection element is configured to detect a temperature of the plurality of contact pins and output a first detection signal, wherein a temperature variation of the plurality of contact pins is correlated with an impedance variation of the first temperature detection element, and the first detection signal reflects the impedance variation of the first temperature detection element;
a verification resistor disposed on the circuit board and having an impedance value according to a type of the electrical plug;
a second temperature detection element disposed on the circuit board, adjacent to the plurality of contact pins and electrically connected with the verification resistor, wherein the second temperature detection element is configured to detect the temperature of the plurality of contact pins and output a second detection signal, wherein the temperature variation of the plurality of contact pins is correlated with a current variation of the second temperature detection element; and
a processor electrically connected with the first temperature detection element and the second temperature detection element, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the temperature of the plurality of contact pins is greater than or equal to a temperature threshold according to the first detection signal and the second detection signal, and the processor disables the electrical plug to transmit the input power to the load when the electrical plug is in an over-temperature state.

2. The electrical plug according to claim 1 , wherein the casing comprises a setting board, the setting board comprises a first surface, a second surface, a plurality of first holes and a concave, the first surface and the second surface of the setting board are opposite to each other, each of the plurality of first holes runs through the first surface and the second surface of the setting board, each of the plurality of contact pins is penetrated through corresponding one of the plurality of first holes and disposed on the setting board, each of the plurality of contact pins comprises a first portion and a second portion, the first portion is disposed on the first surface of the setting board, the second portion is disposed on the second surface of the setting board, each of the plurality of contact pins is plugged into the socket through the first portion, the circuit board is disposed on the second surface of the setting board and disposed between two second portions of two contact pins of the plurality of contact pins, and the concave is concavely formed from the second surface of the setting board.

3. The electrical plug according to claim 2 , wherein the second temperature detection element is a diode, the second temperature detection element is configured to produce a leakage current when the temperature of the plurality of contact pins increases so that the second detection signal reflects a variation of the leakage current of the second temperature detection element.

4. The electrical plug according to claim 3 , wherein the circuit board has a first surface and a second surface, the first surface and the second surface of the circuit board are opposite to each other, and the first surface of the circuit board is contacted with or faces to the second surface of the setting board, wherein the first temperature detection element, the verification resistor and the second temperature detection element are disposed on the first surface of the circuit board and disposed in the concave of the setting board.

5. The electrical plug according to claim 2 , wherein the second temperature detection element is a fuse, the second temperature detection element is turned on or cut off according to the temperature variation of the plurality of contact pins, wherein when the temperature of the plurality of contact pins is greater than or equal to the temperature threshold, the second temperature detection element is cut off so that a current of the second temperature detection element is zero, and the second detection signal reflects that the current of the second temperature detection element is zero.

6. The electrical plug according to claim 5 , wherein the circuit board has a first surface, a second surface and a plurality of second holes, the first surface and the second surface of the circuit board are opposite to each other, and the first surface of the circuit board is contacted with or faces to the second surface of the setting board, wherein the first temperature detection element and the verification resistor are disposed on the first surface of the circuit board and disposed in the concave of the setting board, and the second temperature detection element includes a plurality of connection portions penetrated through the plurality of second holes so that the second temperature detection element is disposed on the circuit board.

7. The electrical plug according to claim 1 , wherein the first temperature detection element is a thermistor having a negative temperature coefficient.

Assignees

• Delta Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lin Yu-Wei
• Li shao-hua

Classifications

• H01R24/28 Primary

  Coupling parts carrying pins, blades or analogous contacts and secured only to wire or cable · CPC title

• H01R13/7137

  with thermal interrupter (H01R13/7132 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01R13/6683 Primary

  with built-in sensor · CPC title

• H01R13/40

  Securing contact members in or to a base or case; Insulating of contact members · CPC title

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title