Patent Publication Number: US-9425566-B2

Title: Power strip and cord thereof

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The instant disclosure relates to power strip and cord thereof, and pertains particularly to a power strip adapted for receiving alternating-current power and cord thereof. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     There have been an increasing number of electrical appliances used in our daily life. The electrical appliances are each provided with a plug to connect to the electric power source, resulting in an insufficient number of the user&#39;s home outlet. Thus, an extension power strip is used cord to increase the number of outlets. Most conventional extension power strips are only designed for providing electric power, while not for providing the user the information about the electricity. 
     A conventional power control unit is configured in the external computer, it costs and it is not very convenient to control and monitor all the peripheral electronic devices. 
     A conventional plug having electric power and electrical energy display device is disclosed in the patent TWM263665. In the plug disclosed, the detecting circuit, the power measurement converting circuit, the direct-current power supply circuit, driving circuit, etc are all disposed inside the housing of the plug. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The embodiment of the instant disclosure provides a power strip. The power strip is adapted for receiving an alternating-current power and includes a plug, a main body, and a cord in connection between the plug and the main body. The plug has at least two conductive pins and an output device. The main body has at least one socket and a converting circuit. The cord includes an insulating cover, and an alternating-current transferring wire and a direct-current transferring wire, which are wrapped in the insulating cover. The alternating-current transferring wire is in electrical connection between the conductive pins and the socket. The direct-current transferring wire is in electrical connection between the output device and the converting circuit. The plug is for transferring the alternating-current power to the main body through the alternating-current transferring wire. The converting circuit is for converting the alternating-current power to a direct-current power and transferring the direct-current power to the output device through the direct-current transferring wire. 
     Another aspect of the instant disclosure provides a cord, which is adapted for a power strip having a plug and a main body. The cord is for connecting the plug and the main body. The cord compromises an insulating cover, an alternating-current transferring wire, and a direct-current transferring wire. The alternating-current transferring wire and the direct-current transferring wire are wrapped in the insulating cover. The cord has a first end and a second end, and the alternating-current transferring wire and the direct-current transferring wire are formed between the first end and the second end. The first end is for connecting to at least two conductive pins of the plug, and the second end is for connecting to the main body. Through the alternating-current transferring wire, an alternating-current power received by the conductive pins is transferred to the main body. Through the direct-current transferring wire, a direct-current signal generated by the main body is transferred to the plug. 
     These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be described in, or will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of, the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. the invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic circuit diagram of a power strip in accordance with a first embodiment of the instant disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of the power strip in accordance with the first embodiment of the instant disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of a portion of the power strip in accordance with the first embodiment of the instant disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of the power strip in accordance with a second embodiment of the instant disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a schematic circuit diagram of the power strip in accordance with a third embodiment of the instant disclosure; and 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of the power strip in accordance with the third embodiment of the instant disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The instant disclosure will be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments are provided herein for purpose of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the precise form disclosed. 
     First Embodiment 
     Please refer concurrently to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2 , and  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic circuit diagram of a power strip in accordance with a first embodiment of the instant disclosure.  FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of the power strip in accordance with the first embodiment of the instant disclosure.  FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of a portion of the power strip in accordance with the first embodiment of the instant disclosure. The power strip  1  provided in the instant disclosure is adapted for receiving an alternating-current power (referred to as the AC power). The power strip  1  includes a plug  11 , a main body  12 , and a cord  13  in connection between the plug  11  and the main body  12 , where the cord includes an insulating cover  131 , an alternating-current transferring wire  132  (referred to as the AC transferring wire  132 ), and a direct-current transferring wire  133  (referred to as the DC transferring wire  133 ). 
     The AC transferring wire  132  and the DC transferring wire  133  both are wrapped in the insulating cover  131 . In the instant disclosure, non-conducting coatings (not shown) can respectively be disposed on the surfaces of the AC transferring wire  132  and the DC transferring wire  133  for providing electrical insulation between the AC transferring wire  132  and the DC transferring wire  133 . Alternatively, the AC transferring wire  132  and the DC transferring wire  133  each can be wrapped by an insulating cover layer (not shown), preventing the AC transferring wire  132  and the DC transferring wire  133  from being in direct contact with each other. Moreover, the AC transferring wire  132  and the DC transferring wire  133  can together be wrapped in the single-layered insulating cover  131  (as shown in  FIG. 3 ), thereby cooperatively forming the cord  13 . The insulating cover  131  can be formed with an electrically insulating material that is heat-proof and pliable, such as a material comprising thermoplastic polymers. The AC transferring wire  132  serves as a path for providing the AC power. The DC transferring wire  133  serves as a path for transferring a direct-current power (referred to as the DC power) or transferring a direct-current signal (referred to as the DC signal). 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the plug  11  is attached to a first end  1301  of the cord  13 , and the plug  11  has two conductive pins  111   a , and  111   b , which are a live pin  111   a  and a neutral pin  111   b . The conductive pins  111   a , and  111   b  are allowed to be removably plugged into an AC power supply outlet, such as an in-wall socket. The plug  11 , for example, can be a plug of a Chinese standard, a plug of an American standard, or a plug of an Australian standard. The conductive pins  111   a , and  111   b  can be designed according to various standards, and the instant disclosure is not limited thereto. 
     The plug  11  further has an output device  112 . In the instant disclosure, the output device  112  is an USB port (Universal Serial Bus port) and serves as an interface for transferring a DC power or a DC signal. Specifically, when providing a DC voltage, the output device  112  can serve as a power source for a detachable device (e.g. a cell phone) in electrically connection thereto. 
     The main body  121  has a plurality of sockets  121  and a converting circuit  122 . Each of the sockets  121  has a pair of conductive terminals (not shown), such as a pair of conductive terminals for live and neutral contacts, disposed within the socket  121 . The conductive terminals are each electrically connected to the AC transferring wire  132 . In another embodiment, the sockets  121  each may have more than two conductive terminals, and the instant disclosure is not limited thereto. The socket  121  serves as an interface for transferring an AC power. Specifically, when the socket  121  is providing an AC voltage, a plug of an electronic device (not shown) can be selectively plugged into the apertures  1211  of the socket  121  for being in electrically connection with the conductive terminals, whereby the electronic device can be supplied with the AC power. The converting circuit  122  of the main body  12  is for converting an AC power into a DC power. 
     The main body  12  further includes a consumption detecting circuit  123  and a processing unit  124  coupled to the consumption detecting circuit  123 . The consumption detecting circuit  123  is for detecting an electric power output from the socket  121 . The processing unit  124  has a processing circuit  125  ( FIG. 5 ) and is for generating a DC signal according to the data of the electric power output detected by the consumption detecting circuit  123 . The DC signal, for example, provides the information about the electric power consumption, such as cumulative using time, cumulative abnormal state time, cumulative time of receiving AC power, short-term cumulative amount of electric energy consumed, long-term cumulative amount of electric energy consumed and cumulative cost. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the AC transferring wire  132  is in electrically connection between the conductive pins  111   a ,  111   b  and each of the sockets  121 , whereby the plug  11  can transfer an AC power to the sockets  121  of the main body  12  through the AC transferring wire  132 . Moreover, the AC transferring wire  132  is in electrically connection between the conductive pins  111   a ,  111   b  and the converting circuit  122  of the main body  12 , whereby an AC power can also be transferred to the converting circuit  122  through the AC transferring wire  132  and be converted to a DC power by the converting circuit  122 . 
     In addition, the DC transferring wire  133  is in electrically connection between the converting circuit  122  and the output device  112 , whereby a DC power can be provided by the converting circuit  122  and transferred to the output device  112  of the plug  11  through the DC transferring wire  133 . Moreover, a DC signal generated by the processing unit  124 , such as the DC signal that provides the information about the electric power consumption, can be transferred to the output device  112  through the DC transferring wire  133 . It is worth mentioning that, the DC power supplied to the plug  11  through the DC transferring wire  133  can also be used for the operation of the output device  112  of the plug  11 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2  in the instant disclosure, the output device  112 , which can serve as an interface for outputting a DC power or as an interface for outputting a DC signal, is disposed at the first end  1301  of the cord  13 , while the circuit structures (such as the converting circuit  122 , the consumption detecting circuit  123 , and the processing circuit  125 ) are all disposed at the second end  1302  of the cord  13 . Therefore, the plug  11  attached to the first end  1301  of the cord  13  can have sufficient accommodating space to accommodate the output device  112 . Thus, the power strip  1  can provide a DC power and/or output a DC signal at the first end  1301  through the output device  112  of the plug  11 . 
     In the instant embodiment, the power strip  1  further comprises a detachable display module  14 , which is coupled to the output device  112  through an USB port for receiving and displaying the information about the electric power consumption. As a specific example, the detachable display module  14  can be the display module of a tablet or the display module of a mobile phone. 
     Another aspect of the instant disclosure provides a cord  13 , which is adapted for a power strip  1  having a plug  11  and a main body  12 . The cord  13  is for connecting the plug  11  and the main body  12 . The cord  13  includes an insulating cover  131 , an AC transferring wire  132 , and a DC transferring wire  133 . The AC transferring wire  132  and the DC transferring wire  133  are wrapped in the insulating cover  131 . The cord  13  has a first end  1301  and a second end  1302 , and the AC transferring wire  131  and the DC transferring wire  133  are formed between the first end  1301  and the second end  1302 . The first end  1301  is for connecting to at least two conductive pins  111   a ,  111   b  of the plug  11 , and the second end  1302  is for connecting to the main body  12 . The conductive pins  111   a ,  111   b  are for receiving an AC power and transferring the AC power to the main body  12  through the AC transferring wire  132 , and the main body  13  is for generating a DC signal and transferring the DC signal to the plug  11  through the DC transferring wire. 
     Second Embodiment 
     Please refer to  FIG. 4 , which illustrates a perspective view of the power strip in accordance with a second embodiment of the instant disclosure. The instant embodiment is similar to the aforementioned embodiment, and the description hereinafter further explains the difference there-between. While the similar features of the second embodiment are not further described. 
     In the instant disclosure, the output device  112 ′ is a display module and includes, for example, a LCD. Thus, the power strip  1 ′ can utilize the output device  112 ′ to display the content of a DC signal, such as the DC signal that provides the information about the electric power consumption, transferred through the DC transferring wire  133 . As a specific example, through the output device  112 ′, the power strip  1 ′ can display the information about the amount of the electric power output from the socket  121 . 
     Third Embodiment 
     Please refer concurrently to  FIG. 5 , and  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 5  illustrates a schematic circuit diagram of the power strip in accordance with a third embodiment of the instant disclosure.  FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of the power strip in accordance with the third embodiment of the instant disclosure. The instant embodiment is similar to the aforementioned first embodiment, and the description hereinafter further explains the difference there-between. While the similar features of the third embodiment are not further described. 
     In the power strip  1 ″ of the instant disclosure, the plug  11  has three conductive pins  111   a ,  111   b , and  111   c , which are a live pin  111   a , a neutral pin  111   b , and, an earthing pin  111   c . The plug  11 , for example, can be a plug of a British standard, and the instant disclosure is not limited thereto. Each of the sockets  121  of the main body  12  has three conductive terminals for live, neutral, and earthing contacts respectively. 
     In addition, the AC transferring wire  132  of the instant disclosure includes a live line L 1 , a neutral line L 2 , and an earthing line L 3 . The live line L 1 , the neutral line L 2 , and the earthing line L 3  each are formed between the first end  1301  and the second end  1302 . In the instant disclosure, non-conducting coatings (not shown) can respectively be disposed on the surfaces of the live line L 1 , the neutral line L 2 , and the earthing line L 3 , preventing the live line L 1 , the neutral line L 2 , the earthing line L 3 , and the DC transferring wire  133  from being in direct contact with one another, thus avoiding short circuit. Moreover, the live line L 1 , the neutral line L 2 , and the earthing line L 3  can together be wrapped in an insulating layer, thereby cooperatively forming the AC transferring wire  132 . The three conductive pins  111   a ,  111   b , and  111   c  of the plug  11  are in electrical connection with the live line L 1 , the neutral line L 2 , and the earthing line L 3  respectively. The three conductive terminals of each socket  121  are also in electrical connection with the live line L 1 , the neutral line L 2 , and the earthing line L 3  respectively. 
     In summary of the above, the power strip  1 ,  1 ′, and  1 ″ of the present disclosure can utilize the AC transferring wire  132  of the cord  13  to transfer the AC power received by the plug  11  from the first end  1301  of the cord  13  to the second end  1302  of the cord  13 , for providing power source for the sockets  121  and the circuits in the main body  12 . The AC power transferred to the converting circuit  122  can be converted to a DC power. Furthermore, the power strip  1 ,  1 ′, and  1 ″ can utilize the DC transferring wire  133  of the cord  13  to transfer the DC power converted from the second end  1302  of the cord  13  to the first end  1301  of the cord  13 , for providing DC power source to the plug  11 . In an alternative embodiment, the power strip  1 ,  1 ′, and  1 ″ of the present disclosure can utilize DC transferring wire  133  of the cord  13  to transfer the DC signal generated by the circuit in the main body  12  from the second end  1302  of the cord  13  to the first end  1301  of the cord  13 , whereby the DC signal can be output or displayed at the first end  1301  of the cord  13  through the output device  112 ,  112 ′ of the plug  11 . 
     While the invention has been disclosed with respect to a limited number of embodiments, numerous modifications and variations will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that the following claims cover all such modifications and variations that may fall within the true sprit and scope of the invention.