U.S. patent application number 14/843215 was filed with the patent office on 2017-03-02 for electrical plug adapter.
The applicant listed for this patent is DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES. INC.. Invention is credited to TERRY A. GEORGE, ERIC OSWIN GOTTSCHLING, STEVEN A. MUSICK, ROBERT JAMES MYERS, RANDALL C. SUMNER.
Application Number | 20170062993 14/843215 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57234948 |
Filed Date | 2017-03-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170062993 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
SUMNER; RANDALL C. ; et
al. |
March 2, 2017 |
ELECTRICAL PLUG ADAPTER
Abstract
An electrical adapter assembly including an adapter housing, an
electrical receptacle defined by a first technical standard that is
disposed within a first face of the adapter housing. The receptacle
is configured to receive a first electrical plug defined by the
first technical standard. The electrical adapter assembly also
includes a second electrical plug defined by a second technical
standard projecting from a second face of the adapter housing and
electrically interconnected to the electrical receptacle and a
thermally conductive member disposed within the adapter housing and
projecting from the first face of the adapter housing. The
electrical adapter assembly also contains features for detecting a
connection of the electrical adapter assembly to the first
plug.
Inventors: |
SUMNER; RANDALL C.; (NEW
WILMINGTON, PA) ; GEORGE; TERRY A.; (SALEM, OH)
; MUSICK; STEVEN A.; (BURTON, OH) ; MYERS; ROBERT
JAMES; (SALINE, MI) ; GOTTSCHLING; ERIC OSWIN;
(WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES. INC. |
Troy |
MI |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
57234948 |
Appl. No.: |
14/843215 |
Filed: |
September 2, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R 13/6691 20130101;
Y02T 10/7072 20130101; Y02T 90/14 20130101; B60L 53/16 20190201;
H01R 13/6272 20130101; H01R 31/065 20130101; H01R 13/703 20130101;
Y02T 10/70 20130101; H01R 31/06 20130101; H01R 13/6683 20130101;
Y02T 10/7005 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01R 13/66 20060101
H01R013/66; H01R 31/06 20060101 H01R031/06; H01R 13/703 20060101
H01R013/703 |
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. The electrical adapter assembly according to claim 8, wherein
the electrical receptacle includes a ground socket, a first power
socket and a second power socket and the second electrical plug
includes a ground pin, a first power blade and a second power
blade.
3. The electrical adapter assembly according to claim 2, wherein
the thermally conductive member is disposed intermediate the first
power blade and the second power blade.
4. The electrical adapter assembly according to claim 2, wherein
the ground socket is electrically coupled to the ground pin, the
first power socket is electrically coupled to the first power blade
and the second power socket is electrically coupled to the second
power blade.
5. The electrical adapter assembly according to claim 8, wherein
the thermally conductive member is a sealed heat pipe partially
filled with a working fluid.
6. The electrical adapter assembly according to claim 8, wherein at
least a portion of the adapter housing is formed of a thermally
conductive dielectric material.
7. The electrical adapter assembly according to claim 6, wherein at
least a portion of the thermally conductive member within the
adapter housing is surrounded the thermally conductive dielectric
material, said thermally conductive dielectric material having a
greater thermal conductivity than a material forming the remainder
of the adapter housing.
8. An electrical adapter assembly, comprising: an adapter housing
having a first face and a second face disposed on opposite sides of
the adapter housing; an electrical receptacle defined by a first
technical standard disposed within the first face of the adapter
housing and configured to receive a first electrical plug defined
by the first technical standard; a second electrical plug defined
by a second technical standard projecting from the second face of
the adapter housing and electrically interconnected to the
electrical receptacle; and a thermally conductive member disposed
within the adapter housing and distinct from the electrical
receptacle and the second electrical plug, said thermally
conductive member configured to project from the first face and
transfer heat from the second electrical plug to the first face,
wherein a portion of the thermally conductive member projecting
from the first face is surrounded by a ferrule.
9. An electrical device capable of receiving electrical power
having various source voltages, comprising: an electrical adapter
assembly, comprising: an adapter housing having a first face and a
second face disposed on opposite sides of the adapter housing, an
electrical receptacle defined by a first technical standard
disposed within the first face of the adapter housing and
configured to receive a first electrical plug defined by the first
technical standard, a second electrical plug defined by a second
technical standard projecting from the second face of the adapter
housing and electrically interconnected to the electrical
receptacle, and a thermally conductive member disposed within the
adapter housing and distinct from the electrical receptacle and the
second electrical plug, said thermally conductive member configured
to project from the first face and transfer heat from the second
electrical plug to the first face; and an electrical power supply
cord terminated by the first electrical plug, wherein a plug
housing containing the first electrical plug defines a cavity
configured to receive a portion of the thermally conductive member
projecting from the first face, wherein the plug housing further
contains a thermal sensor disposed proximate to the cavity.
10. The electrical device according to claim 9, wherein the
electrical device contains a means for detecting a connection of
the electrical adapter assembly and the plug housing.
11. The electrical device according to claim 10, wherein said means
includes: an electrically conductive ferrule surrounding the
portion of the thermally conductive member projecting from the
first face, and a first and second electrical contact disposed
within the cavity and in electrical communication with a controller
within the electrical device, wherein said first and second
contacts are configured to complete an electrical circuit through
the electrically conductive ferrule when the thermally conductive
member is received within the cavity.
12. The electrical device according to claim 10, wherein said means
includes a magnet disposed in the adapter housing and a magnetic
switch disposed in the plug housing.
13. The electrical device according to claim 10, wherein said means
includes a wireless transmitter disposed in the adapter housing and
a wireless receiver disposed in the plug housing.
14. The electrical device according to claim 10, wherein said means
includes a wireless transmitter disposed in the adapter housing and
a wireless transceiver disposed in the plug housing.
15. (canceled)
16. An electrical assembly, comprising: an electrical adapter
assembly, further comprising: an adapter housing having a first
face and a second face disposed on opposite sides of the adapter
housing, an electrical receptacle defined by a first technical
standard disposed within the first face of the adapter housing and
configured to receive a first electrical plug defined by the first
technical standard, and a second electrical plug defined by a
second technical standard projecting from the second face of the
adapter housing and electrically interconnected to the electrical
receptacle; an electrical power supply cord terminated by a plug
housing containing the first electrical plug; and a means for
detecting a connection of the electrical adapter assembly and the
plug housing, further comprising: an electrically conductive
ferrule projecting from the first face, and a first and second
electrical contact disposed within a cavity defined by the plug
housing and in electrical communication with a controller within
the electrical device, wherein said first and second contacts are
configured to contact the electrically conductive ferrule and
complete an electrical circuit through the electrically conductive
ferrule when the electrically conductive ferrule is received within
the cavity.
17-19. (canceled)
20. The electrical adapter assembly according to claim 9, wherein
the electrical receptacle includes a ground socket, a first power
socket and a second power socket and the second electrical plug
includes a ground pin, a first power blade and a second power
blade.
21. The electrical adapter assembly according to claim 20, wherein
the thermally conductive member is disposed intermediate the first
power blade and the second power blade.
22. The electrical adapter assembly according to claim 9, wherein
the thermally conductive member is a sealed heat pipe partially
filled with a working fluid.
23. The electrical adapter assembly according to claim 9, wherein
at least a portion of the adapter housing is formed of a thermally
conductive dielectric material.
24. The electrical adapter assembly according to claim 23, wherein
at least a portion of the thermally conductive member within the
adapter housing is surrounded the thermally conductive dielectric
material, said thermally conductive dielectric material having a
greater thermal conductivity than a material forming the remainder
of the adapter housing.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 14/746,019, filed on Jun. 22, 2015, the entire disclosure of
which is hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to an electrical plug adapter,
particularly an electrical plug adapter configured to allow a plug
connector meeting a particular plug configuration standard to mate
with a receptacle meeting a different and incompatible receptacle
configuration standard.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] National technical standards exist to define the physical
and electrical characteristics of electrical plugs and their
associated receptacles. The intent of these technical standards is
to promote safety and operability between power sources and
electronic devices that require electrical power. Historically, a
particular electronic device would be designed for a specific
source voltage and maximum current source and so would be
manufactured with a fixed plug that is configured to insert into
its complementary power-source receptacle. For example, an
electronic device in North America requiring 220 volts and drawing
a maximum current of 20 amperes would be supplied with a plug
meeting the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
6-20 standard configured for insertion into a receptacle also
conforming to the NEMA 6-20 standard. However, the NEMA 6-20 plug
cannot be inserted into a receptacle capable of providing a lower
110 volt source voltage, such as a NEMA 5-15 standard
receptacle.
[0004] However, electronic devices are currently being manufactured
that have built-in power electronics capable of converting various
input voltages into an appropriate electrical power for the device.
While an electronic device might be configured with a NEMA 6-20
plug, it may be also operable with power provided by a NEMA 5-15
receptacle, even though not physically able to be inserted into the
NEMA 5-15 without a plug adapter of some sort.
[0005] Plugs may include thermal sensing devices that monitor the
temperature of the plug/receptacle junction. The electronic may be
programmed to take protective countermeasures, such as reducing
power or shutting down if the sensed temperature of the
receptacle/plug junction exceeds a temperature threshold. However,
the use of an adapter may separate the plug from the receptacle and
the thermal sensor in the plug is isolated from the
adapter/receptacle junction. The adapter may include a thermal
sensor, however the sensor in the adapter may require additional
wiring and terminals to interface the sensor to the plug.
Therefore, a convenient and cost effective means for measuring the
adapter/receptacle junction temperature may still be desired.
[0006] It may be possible for users to construct "home built"
adapters for connecting a receptacle according to one technical
standard to a plug following a different technical standard.
However, the "home built" adapters would likely lack any thermal
sensing capability. In order to guarantee that thermal sensing of
the adapter/receptacle junction is provided, it may be desirable to
detect whether an authorized adapter including thermal sensing
capability is being used with the plug and operate the electronic
device only when an approved adapter is detected.
[0007] The subject matter discussed in the background section
should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its
mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned
in the background section or associated with the subject matter of
the background section should not be assumed to have been
previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the
background section merely represents different approaches, which in
and of themselves may also be inventions.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, an
electrical adapter assembly is provided. The electrical adapter
assembly includes an adapter housing having a first face and a
second face disposed on opposite sides of the adapter housing and
an electrical receptacle defined by a first technical standard
disposed within the first face of the adapter housing and
configured to receive a first electrical plug defined by the first
technical standard. The electrical adapter assembly further
includes a second electrical plug defined by a second technical
standard projecting from the second face of the adapter housing and
electrically interconnected to the electrical receptacle and a
thermally conductive member distinct from the electrical receptacle
and the second electrical plug. The thermally conductive member is
disposed within the adapter housing and projects from the first
face.
[0009] According to a particular embodiment, the electrical
receptacle includes a ground socket, a first power socket and a
second power socket and the second electrical plug includes a
ground pin, a first power blade and a second power blade. The
ground socket is electrically coupled to the ground pin, the first
power socket is electrically coupled to the first power blade and
the second power socket is electrically coupled to the second power
blade.
[0010] The thermally conductive member may be disposed intermediate
the first power blade and the second power blade. The thermally
conductive member may be a sealed heat pipe that is partially
filled with a working fluid. At least a portion of the adapter
housing may be formed of a thermally conductive dielectric
material. At least a portion of the thermally conductive member
within the adapter housing may be surrounded the thermally
conductive dielectric material. The thermally conductive dielectric
material has a greater thermal conductivity than a material forming
the remainder of the adapter housing. A portion of the thermally
conductive member projecting from the first face may be surrounded
by a ferrule.
[0011] In accordance with another embodiment, an electrical device
capable of receiving electrical power having various source
voltages is provided. The electrical device includes an electrical
adapter assembly as described supra and an electrical power supply
cord that is terminated by the first electrical plug. A plug
housing containing the first electrical plug defines a cavity that
is configured to receive a portion of the thermally conductive
member projecting from the first face. The plug housing further
contains a thermal sensor that is disposed proximate to the
cavity.
[0012] The electrical device may contains a means for detecting a
connection of the electrical adapter assembly and the plug housing.
This means may include an electrically conductive ferrule
surrounding the portion of the thermally conductive member
projecting from the first face and a first and second electrical
contact disposed within the cavity and in electrical communication
with a controller within the electrical device. The first and
second contacts are configured to complete an electrical circuit
through the electrically conductive ferrule when the thermally
conductive member is received within the cavity. Alternatively, the
means may include a magnet disposed in the adapter housing and a
magnetic switch disposed in the plug housing. Otherwise, the means
may include a wireless transmitter disposed in the adapter housing
and a wireless receiver or transceiver disposed in the plug
housing.
[0013] In accordance with yet another embodiment, an electrical
assembly is provided. The electrical assembly includes an
electrical adapter assembly that itself includes an adapter housing
having a first face and a second face disposed on opposite sides of
the adapter housing, an electrical receptacle defined by a first
technical standard disposed within the first face of the adapter
housing and configured to receive a first electrical plug defined
by the first technical standard, and a second electrical plug
defined by a second technical standard projecting from the second
face of the adapter housing and electrically interconnected to the
electrical receptacle. The electrical assembly further includes an
electrical power supply cord terminated by a plug housing
containing the first electrical plug and a means for detecting a
connection of the electrical adapter assembly and the plug
housing.
[0014] This means may include an electrically conductive ferrule
surrounding the portion of the thermally conductive member
projecting from the first face and a first and second electrical
contact disposed within the cavity and in electrical communication
with a controller within the electrical device. The first and
second contacts are configured to complete an electrical circuit
through the electrically conductive ferrule when the thermally
conductive member is received within the cavity. Alternatively, the
means may include a magnet disposed in the adapter housing and a
magnetic switch disposed in the plug housing. Otherwise, the means
may include a wireless transmitter disposed in the adapter housing
and a wireless receiver or transceiver disposed in the plug
housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0015] The present invention will now be described, by way of
example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0016] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an electric vehicle battery
charging device having a power supply cord terminated by a first
plug according to one embodiment;
[0017] FIG. 1B is a close-up perspective view of the first plug in
FIG. 1A defined by a first technical standard according to one
embodiment;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the electric vehicle battery
charging device of FIG. 1 according to a first embodiment;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a receptacle end of an
electrical adapter device according to a first embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 3A is an end view of a second plug end of the
electrical adapter device of FIG. 2 according to the first
embodiment;
[0021] FIG. 4 is cross-sectional side view of the electrical
adapter device of FIG. 2 and a plug housing according to the first
embodiment;
[0022] FIG. 5 is cross-sectional top view the electrical adapter
device of FIG. 2 and the plug housing according to the first
embodiment;
[0023] FIG. 6 is cross-sectional top view of an electrical adapter
device and a plug housing according to a second embodiment;
[0024] FIG. 7 is cross-sectional top view of an electrical adapter
device and a plug housing according to a third embodiment;
[0025] FIG. 8 is cross-sectional top view of an electrical adapter
device and a plug housing according to a fourth embodiment; and
[0026] FIG. 9 is cross-sectional top view of an electrical adapter
device and a plug housing according to a fifth embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0027] An electrical adapter device, hereinafter referred to as the
adapter, is presented herein. The adapter has a receptacle on one
end that conforms to a particular technical standard and has a plug
on the other end that conforms to a non-compatible technical
standard. The adapter may be used to connect a plug conforming to
one technical standard, such as the National Electrical
Manufacturers Association (NEMA) 6-15P, NEMA 5-20P, or NEMA 6-20P
to a receptacle conforming to a different technical standard, such
as NEMA 5-15R.
[0028] As used herein, a "technical standard" is a formalized
public document that defines a uniform physical and/or electrical
configuration for a product, whether promulgated by a standards
body, a regulatory body, or as a "de facto" standard set by
widespread adoption. Technical standards include the standards
established by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association
(NEMA) in the United States for use with alternating current (AC)
electrical power connections, including but not limited to NEMA
5-15, NEMA 6-15, NEMA 5-20, and NEMA 6-20. Although a particular
standard may have sub sections defining a receptacle configuration
and plug configuration (and so designated with `R` or the
description herein treats "a technical standard" as encompassing
both receptacle and plug configurations in the same technical
standard. The technical standards may also include standards
defining electrical plugs and receptacles from outside of the
United States, such as Types C through N defined by the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
[0029] The adapter includes a thermally conductive member that is
configured to conduct heat from terminals in the adapter connected
to the receptacle to a thermal sensor located in the plug connected
to the adapter so that the thermal sensor can monitor and determine
the temperature of the terminals connected to the receptacle. The
adapter and plug housing may additionally or alternatively contain
devices that allow the plug to determine whether it is connected to
an authorized adapter.
[0030] FIGS. 1, 1A, and 2 illustrate a non-limiting example of an
electrical device 10, in this case an electric vehicle battery
charging device 10 that has a power supply cord 12 terminated by a
first electrical plug 14, hereinafter referred to as the first plug
14, contained within a plug housing 16. The electric vehicle
battery charging device 10 is designed to operate from either a
110V/60 Hz AC or a 220V/60 Hz AC power source (not shown). The
first plug 14, as shown in FIG. 1B, conforms to the NEMA 6-20
standard used in North America with 220V sources, in this case the
NEMA 6-20P standard. As shown in FIG. 2, the first plug 14 is
connected to a powered receptacle 18 conforming to a different
standard, such as NEMA 5-15. The powered receptacle 18 is coupled
to the power source, in this example the 110V/60 Hz AC. The first
plug 14 is connected to the powered receptacle 18 via an adapter
20. The electric vehicle battery charging device 10 also includes a
controller 22 configured to control the functions of the electric
vehicle battery charging device 10, such as power state and power
output levels. The plug housing 16 containing the first plug 14
includes a thermal sensor 24 that is configured to determine the
temperature of the first plug 14. The thermal sensor 24 may be
embedded within a thermally conductive material 26.
[0031] A non-limiting example of the adapter 20 is shown in FIGS. 3
and 3A. The adapter 20 has an electrical receptacle 28 and a second
electrical plug 30 that are defined by different technical
standards. As illustrated in FIG. 3, one end of the adapter 20
contains an electrical receptacle 28 conforming to the NEMA 6-20
standard., in this case the NEMA 6-20R standard. The receptacle 28
is configured to accept the first plug 14 conforming to the same
NEMA 6-20 standard. The receptacle 28 contains a ground socket 32,
a first power socket 34, and a second power socket 36.
[0032] As shown in FIG. 3A, the other end of the adapter 20
contains a second electrical plug 30, hereinafter referred to as
the second plug 20 conforming to a different technical standard
than the electrical receptacle 28. In this example, the second plug
30 conforms to the NEMA 5-15P standard used with 110 volt sources.
The second plug 20 contains a ground pin 38, a first power blade
40, and a second power blade 42. The ground socket 32 is
electrically coupled to the ground pin 38, the first power socket
34 is electrically coupled to the first power blade 40, and the
second power socket 36 is electrically coupled to the second power
blade 42 within an adapter housing 44 having a generally circular
cross section.
[0033] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the adapter 20 includes a
thermally conductive member 46 disposed within the adapter housing
44 located intermediate the first and second power blade 40, 42 in
order to efficiently transfer heat generated by electrical current
flowing through the first and second power blades 40, 42. The
thermally conductive member 46 is distinct from the first and
second power blades 40, 42. The thermally conductive member 46 may
be a heat pipe comprising a sealed tube partially filled with a
working fluid. The materials and techniques used to construct heat
pipes are well known to those skilled in the art. Alternatively,
the thermally conductive member 46 may be a rod formed of a
thermally conductive material, such as a copper based or aluminum
based material. An end 48 of the thermally conductive member 46 may
project from the first face of the adapter 20 proximate the
receptacle 28. This end 48 of the thermally conductive member 46 is
configured to be received within a cavity 50 formed in the plug
housing 16 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. A ferrule 52 may surround
this end 48 of the thermally conductive member 46 to provide
additional mechanical support. A thermal sensor 24, such as a
thermistor, is disposed within the plug housing 16 in close
proximity to the cavity 50 so that it is in proximity to the
thermally conductive member 46 when the first plug 14 is connected
to the receptacle 28 of the adapter 20.
[0034] Without subscribing to any particular theory of operation,
the thermally conductive member 46 conducts heat from the first and
second power blades 40, 42 to the thermal sensor 24 in the plug
housing 16. The thermal sensor 24 is connected to the controller 22
within the electric vehicle battery charging device 10, e.g. by
wires within the power supply cord 12.
[0035] The controller 22 may include a microprocessor, application
specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or may be built from discrete
logic and timing circuits (not shown). Software instructions that
program the controller 22 to control the electric vehicle battery
charging device 10 may be stored in a non-volatile (NV) memory
device (not shown). The NV memory device may be contained within
the microprocessor or ASIC or it may be a separate device.
Non-limiting examples of the types of NV memory that may be used
include electrically erasable programmable read only memory
(EEPROM), masked read only memory (ROM), and flash memory.
[0036] The NV memory of the controller 22 contains instructions
that, when executed, cause the controller 22 to monitor the signal
from the thermal sensor 24, determine a temperature based on the
signal, determine whether the temperature exceeds a safe
operational threshold, and command the electric vehicle battery
charging device 10 to take countermeasures to reduce the
temperature when the controller 22 determines that the temperature
exceeds the threshold. The countermeasures may include reducing
and/or discontinuing power output from the electric vehicle battery
charging device 10.
[0037] The adapter housing 44 is formed of a dielectric material,
e.g. polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polypropylene (PP), or
polyamide (PA, commonly known as NYLON). A thermally conductive
filler material, such as boron nitride, may be added to the
dielectric material to enhance thermal conductivity of the
dielectric material. The entire adapter housing 44 may be formed of
the enhanced dielectric material 45A as shown in FIG. 5 or a
portion of the adapter housing 44 intermediate the first and second
power blades 40, 42 and surrounding the thermally conductive member
46 may be formed of the enhanced dielectric material while the
remaining dielectric material 45B forming the adapter housing 44
does not contain the thermally conductive filler material as shown
in FIG. 6.
[0038] The sockets, pin and blades 32-40 are formed of a conductive
material, such as a copper alloy. Each socket and corresponding
blade or pin 32-40 is an integral assembly that is either insert
molded into or assembled within the adapter housing 44 as shown in
FIGS. 3-9. Alternatively, each socket and corresponding blade 32-40
may be separate elements that are connected by a wire (not shown)
within a hollow cavity (not shown) defined by the adapter 20.
[0039] The adapter 20 and plug housing 16 may include features that
cooperate to verify the presence of the adapter 20 connected to the
first plug 14. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a detection device 54 in
the plug housing 16 is connected to the controller 22 via wires
running through the power supply cord 12. The NV memory may contain
instructions that, when executed, cause the controller 22 to detect
the voltage of the power supply, monitor a signal from the
detection device 54 in the plug housing 16 if a 110 volt supply is
detected, and perform a function, such as using a different
temperature calibration coefficient to calculate the temperature
based on the signal from the thermal sensor 24 when the adapter 20
is detected than is used when the adapter 20 is not detected. The
use of different temperature calibration coefficients allows the
different thermal characteristics of the plug housing 16/adapter 20
combination vs. the plug housing 16 alone to be accounted for when
calculating the temperature based on the thermal sensor 24
signal.
[0040] In applications where the adapter 20 is used to accommodate
different technical standards that each are used with a 220 volt
power supply, such as IEC Types C through N, the controller 22 may
not need to determine if a 110 volt supply is detected and would
monitor a signal from the detection device 54 in the plug housing
16 if a 220 volt supply is detected.
[0041] The NV memory may also contain instructions that, when
executed, cause the controller 22 to inhibit operation of the
electric vehicle battery charging device 10 when the adapter 20 is
not detected and the controller 22 detects a 110 volt power supply.
This feature prevents the use of an unauthorized adapter that may
not have thermal detection features with the electric vehicle
battery charging device 10. Detecting the adapter 20 only when a
110 volt power supply is detected provides the benefit of not
requiring a 220 volt powered receptacle 18 to include detection
features since the adapter 20 is not required for use with a 220V
power supply.
[0042] As shown in the non-limiting example of FIG. 7, the ferrule
52 of the adapter 20 surrounding the thermally conductive member 46
is formed from an electrically conductive material. The cavity 50
of the plug housing 16 contains two electrical contacts 56 forming
the detection device 54 that are configured to touch the conductive
ferrule 52' when the first plug 14 is inserted into the receptacle
28 of the adapter 20. The contacts 56 are connected to the
controller 22 via wire running through the power supply cord 12.
The controller 22 detects the adapter 20 when the circuit through
the contacts 56 is completed. The material forming the ferrule 52
may be selected to provide a specific resistance value. The NV
memory may contain instructions that, when executed, cause the
controller 22 to detect a resistance of the circuit and detect the
presence of the adapter 20 only when the resistance falls within a
predetermined range. This provides the benefit of preventing
operation of the electric vehicle battery charging device 10 with
an unauthorized adapter merely by short circuiting the
contacts.
[0043] As shown in the non-limiting example of FIG. 8, the adapter
housing 44 may include a magnet 58 and the plug housing 16 may
include a magnetic switch 60, e.g. a sealed reed switch, a Hall
Effect switch, a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) switch, or an
anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) switch forming the detection
device 54. The magnet 58 is configured so that the magnetic field
strength of the magnet 58 is sufficient to active the magnetic
switch 60 when the first plug 14 is inserted into the receptacle 28
of the adapter 20. The controller 22 detects the adapter 20 when
the circuit through the magnetic switch 60 is completed.
[0044] As shown in the non-limiting example of FIG. 9, the adapter
housing 44 may include a short range wireless transmitter 62 and
the plug housing 16 may include a compatible wireless receiver or
transceiver 64 forming the detection device 54. The transmitter 62
in the adapter 20 may be externally powered by the 110V power
supply or internally powered by a battery. This powered transmitter
62 may conform to a technical standard such as BLUETOOTH or Near
Field Communication (NFD). Alternatively, a non-powered transmitter
62, such as a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag may be used
with the transceiver 64 which transmits a signal to activate the
RFID tag. The controller 22 detects the adapter 20 when the
receiver or transceiver 64 receives a valid signal from the
transmitter 62 in the adapter 20.
[0045] Other embodiments of the adapter may be envisioned that
include the detection elements 54-64 that cooperate to verify the
presence of the adapter connected to the first plug 14 but do not
include the thermally conductive member 46.
[0046] Accordingly an electrical adapter device 20 configured to
connect a first electrical plug 14 conforming to a first technical
standard, such as NEMA 6-20 to a powered receptacle 18 conforming
to a different technical standard, such as NEMA 5-15 is provided.
The thermally conductive member 46 is position between the current
carrying first and second power blades 40, 42 and can be sized to
optimize detection of the first and second blade temperature. The
thermally conductive member 46 can detect the temperature near the
powered receptacle 18/second plug 20 interface as well as near the
adapter receptacle 28/first plug 14 interface. The use of the
thermally conductive member 46 obviates the need for a separate
thermal sensor 24 in the adapter 20 and the electrical interface
such a thermal sensor 24 would require. The thermally conductive
member 46 allows the thermal sensor 24 in the plug housing 16 to
more accurately measure the temperature of the first and second
power blades 40, 42 and detect a temperature rise with less lag
time. The adapter detection elements 54-64 provide the benefits of
using different coefficients to determine temperature when the
adapter 20 is in use and preventing use of unauthorized
adapters.
[0047] While the illustrated examples contained herein show an
adapter 20 that is configured to adapt plugs and receptacles
between NEMA 5-15P and NEMA 6-20P technical standards used
primarily in North America, other embodiments may be envisioned
where the size, shape, and location of the first and second power,
and ground blades and sockets conform to other technical standards
used in different parts of the world, such as IEC Types C through
N.
[0048] While this invention has been described in terms of the
preferred embodiments thereof, it is not intended to be so limited,
but rather only to the extent set forth in the claims that follow.
Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. does not denote
any order of importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc.
are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the
use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of
quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the
referenced items.
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