CN212209816U

CN212209816U - System for connecting a connector of an electrical conductor to a control unit

Info

Publication number: CN212209816U
Application number: CN202020437777.5U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 迈克尔·约翰·林奇
Original assignee: Wearable Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Wearable Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2019-04-02
Filing date: 2020-03-30
Publication date: 2020-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 2030-03-30
Also published as: GB201904576D0; GB2582773A

Abstract

The utility model discloses a system for be connected the connector of electric conductor to control unit, wherein, control unit 101 is attached to the connector 102 who contains in the clothing 103 that is used for the hazardous environment. The insertion end 105 of the connector plug is inserted into the receiving end of the receptacle confined within the control unit. The plug is pushed into the socket until it is restrained by the restraining portion 108, during which time one or more electrical pads secured to the plug slide over one or more spring-loaded pins extending into the socket, thereby temporarily depressing the one or more spring-loaded pins.

Description

System for connecting a connector of an electrical conductor to a control unit

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a system for be used for being connected the connector of electric conductor to the control unit. The utility model discloses still relate to a connector for installing the electric conductor in the clothing. The utility model discloses still relate to a control unit that is used for the clothing that has electric connector. The invention also relates to a method of attaching a control unit to a connector comprised in a garment for hazardous environments.

Background

As disclosed in the applicant's US patent 10161611, it is known to connect a control unit to a connector contained in a garment. However, problems arise because many of the connectors commonly available for this purpose tend to be bulky or used for semi-permanent or permanent connections. Furthermore, problems also arise when a portion of the connector is attached to laundry that may be subjected to industrial cycle washing.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

According to one aspect of the present invention, a system for connecting an electrical connector wire connector to a control unit is provided. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector for installation in a garment. According to a third aspect of the present invention, a control unit for a garment having an electrical junction is provided. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a method of attaching a control unit to a connector comprised in a garment for hazardous environments is provided.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. The detailed embodiments show the best mode known to the utility model man and provide support for the claimed utility model. However, they are merely exemplary and should not be used to interpret or limit the scope of the claims. Its purpose is to provide a teaching to those skilled in the art. Components and processes that are distinguished by ordinal terms such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily define any sort of order or hierarchy.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention, which illustrates a simplified method of attaching a control unit to an electrical connector confined within a garment;

FIG. 2 shows the connector plug securely connected to the control unit;

FIG. 3 illustrates the confinement of the control unit within the inner pocket;

FIG. 4 shows a connector plug;

FIG. 5 shows an example of a barrel socket;

FIG. 6 shows the plug inserted into the receptacle such that the teeth of the receptacle are located within the notches of the plug;

FIG. 7 shows another view of the control unit;

FIG. 8 shows an internal circuit board of the control unit shown in FIG. 7; and

fig. 9 shows a top view of the circuit board identified in fig. 8.

Detailed Description

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the invention, which illustrates a simplified method of attaching a control unit 101 to an electrical connector 102 confined within a garment 103 for use in a hazardous environment. In fig. 1, the garment is a vest, but the method may also be deployed in other types of garments, such as jackets, harnesses, trousers, etc. This type of garment is typically made of a fluorescent material with a band 104 of reflective material attached thereto. Typically, these strips of reflective material are located at locations where such garments are specified by different standards.

The method includes inserting the insertion end 105 of the connector plug 106 into the receiving end of a barrel-shaped receptacle confined within the control unit 101. The method then continues by pushing the plug 106 into the receiving end 107 of the barrel socket. The plug is pushed into the barrel socket until it is restrained by the restraining portion 108, during which time one or more electrical pads secured to the plug 106 slide over one or more spring-loaded pins (springs) extending into the barrel socket, thereby temporarily depressing one or more of these spring-loaded pins.

FIG. 2

After inserting the connector plug 106 into the barrel socket of the control unit 101, the connector plug is firmly fixed in place as shown in fig. 2. The plug comprises a handle 201 to facilitate insertion and removal of the plug from the control unit by pulling the plug with a manual force in the direction of arrow 202. Thus, if the control unit 101 is released, it will hang freely, i.e. be supported by the inserted plug and connector 102.

FIG. 3

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, after the plug 106 is fully inserted, the control unit 101 may be restrained in an inner pocket of the garment 103. The control unit may be activated prior to loading into the inner pocket, however, in one embodiment, the control unit may also be activated and deactivated while the control unit itself is held in the pocket.

FIG. 4

Fig. 4 shows the connector plug 106 with the connector 102 extending therefrom. The plug 106 may be identified as having a male portion 105, a female portion 108, and a central portion 401. In this embodiment, the central portion 401 includes a channel 402 having contact pads therein. In this example, ten contact pads, identified as first through tenth pads 411 through 420, respectively, are provided within the channel. However, the pads may have alternative configurations. Typically, a minimum of four pads are required to meet the requirement of providing two power cables, one clock cable and one data cable. In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, six more pads are provided to ensure compatibility with existing wire connector systems and to facilitate further development work.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the insertion portion 105 is substantially cylindrical so that it can be received in a support hole in the side wall of the control unit as described in connection with fig. 7.

In one embodiment, the restraining end 108 is configured to be secured to an end of the wire connector 102, thereby becoming a permanent fixture of the wire connector embedded in the garment. As previously described in the description of fig. 2, the restraining end is also configured to have a surface that facilitates manual insertion and removal from the control unit. Further, while the plug and control unit provide a complete system, it should be understood that a plug forming part of the connector may be inserted into any one of a set of control units available and may be stored in the control unit charging device prior to deployment.

It will also be appreciated that the expected lifetime of the garment with the plug attached to the connector will be shorter than the expected lifetime of the control unit, and that during use the control unit can be reprogrammed for newly developed garments. Furthermore, it may also be programmed for deployment in a specific environment, e.g. an environment in which a specific light color for the light emitting device has to be employed. Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention relates to an electrical connector for an electrical connector installed in a garment, the electrical connector including a plug 106. The plug includes a male portion 105, a female portion 108, and a central portion 401. The central portion includes a plurality of contact pads configured to slide over one or more spring-loaded pins when the plug is inserted into the control unit.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the wire connector assembly includes a strain relief support 421 for restraining the electrical conductors. In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the constraint portion 108 is configured to have a first outer contour that coincides with a second outer contour of the control unit to appear as one whole upon insertion as described in the description of fig. 2.

In one embodiment, the constrained portion 108 may comprise an optional functional circuit. Thus, the optional functional circuitry may include an electronic gyroscope, an additional communication device (e.g., a communication device using an established low frequency radio protocol), and a detection device for detecting the presence of gas or for measuring ambient noise levels or for detecting the level of a battery pack. Thus, the control unit may provide general functions, while the plug may provide optional functions, thereby reducing the cost of the entry level system.

In one embodiment, as described in the description of FIG. 5, the central portion 401 further includes notches for receiving teeth extending from the barrel structure. In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, a first recess 431 and a second recess 432 are provided, although in other configurations, other numbers of recesses may be selected. Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the second recess 432 is located on an opposite side of the first recess 431, but in other embodiments, the recesses may be disposed at different locations.

FIG. 5

Figure 5 shows an example of a barrel-shaped socket of the type that can be confined within a control unit of the type described in figure 1. In this embodiment, socket 501 includes a first arm 511 and a second arm 511. The first arm 511 includes a first tooth 521 extending therefrom for insertion into the first recess 431. Similarly, the second arm 512 includes a second tooth 522 extending therefrom for insertion into the second recess 432.

In this embodiment, the socket includes a plurality of pin holes, each aligned to receive a separate pin. In another embodiment, a common slot may be provided, but the configuration shown in fig. 5 may provide additional support for the spring-loaded pins when the plug is inserted. In this embodiment, ten spring-loaded pins are respectively fitted to the pads 411 to 420, and thus ten pin holes consisting of the first pin hole 531 to the tenth pin hole 540 are provided.

Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention extends to a control unit for a garment having an electrical junction box with a plug insertable into the control unit. In particular, spring-loaded pins are arranged within a barrel-shaped structure of the type described in the description of fig. 5, each spring-loaded pin being intended to make electrical contact with a contact pad of an inserted plug. In addition, the spring-loaded pins are configured to be forced back when the plug is inserted into the barrel structure, during which the one or more contact pads slide over and temporarily depress the one or more spring-loaded pins.

FIG. 6

Referring to fig. 6, the connector plug 106 has been inserted into the barrel socket 501 such that the first tooth 521 is located within the first recess 431 and the second tooth 522 is located within the second recess 432. The insertion portion 105 extends outward of the socket 501.

FIG. 7

Another view of the control unit according to the description of fig. 2 is shown in fig. 7. The wire connector 102 extends from the constraint portion 108. The first outer contour 422 is aligned with the second outer contour 701 defined by the containment cap.

The control unit 101 has a hole 702 for receiving a substantially cylindrical extension of the insertion portion 105. The activation and deactivation of the control unit is achieved by manually pressing the large button 703 and the article of clothing 103 may contain an indication as described in the applicant's US patent 10161611, which is an indication of where to press the large button 703 in order to activate when the control unit is confined in a pocket. The control unit may also include a visual display 704 and its first control button 705 and second control button 706.

FIG. 8

The internal circuit board 801 of the control unit is shown in fig. 8 before the front shell is loaded. Spring loaded pins (commonly referred to as "pogo pins") are inserted into corresponding holes in the circuit board 801. This embodiment includes ten of these types of pins, identified as first pin 811 through tenth pin 820, respectively. For a given use, the bottom of the pin shown in fig. 8 should be soldered directly to the circuit board and then extended from the circuit board. The initial purpose of the pad is to make contact with the pin by moving in an axial direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the circuit board. However, in accordance with the present invention, upon insertion of the plug into the receptacle, as described in the description of fig. 6, one or more contact pads slide over and temporarily depress one or more spring-loaded pins until each spring pin makes electrical contact with a corresponding contact pad.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as indicated by arrows 821, the pins approach each other in the lateral direction, and thus a bending moment is generated when the sliding operation is performed. Thus, when deployed in a conventional configuration, lateral forces will be applied to the pins in the present application, which in turn may cause their solder joints to fail. To avoid this possibility, as an alternative to extending away from the circuit board, the pins are effectively inverted and holes are formed in the circuit board for each respective pin so that the pins are constrained by the holes in the circuit board. Further restraint is then provided by apertures 531 to 540 provided in the barrel structure as described in the description of figure 5.

The circuit board 801 includes processing circuitry for implementing the functions required by the control unit and the battery for powering the control unit is confined to the underside of the circuit board 801 and is therefore covered in fig. 8.

FIG. 9

A top view of the circuit board 801 is shown in fig. 9. Each pin, such as pin 811, extends through a corresponding hole in the circuit board 801. As previously mentioned, under normal operation, the pin should be subjected to a force applied in the direction of the second arrow 901. In the present application, however, during insertion of the plug, the pin is initially subjected to a lateral force in the direction of the third arrow 902.

During insertion, pins 811-820 are depressed and then released between the pads until each pin makes contact with a corresponding pad after the plug is fully inserted. Thus, after insertion, the pins are depressed in the direction of arrow 901 to make electrical contact. During insertion, the pins are held in place by holes in the circuit board. In addition, the socket includes a plurality of pin holes, each pin hole receiving one of the spring-loaded pins 811-820, as described in the description of fig. 5.

Claims

1. A system for connecting a connector of an electrical conductor to a control unit, comprising:

a plug configured to be insertable into the control unit; and

a socket capturable in the control unit for receiving the plug, wherein:

the plug having an insertion portion, a constraint portion, and a central portion with a plurality of contact pads secured thereto; the method is characterized in that:

the socket having spring-loaded pins, each spring-loaded pin for making contact with a respective one of the contact pads; and

upon insertion of the plug into the socket, one or more of the contact pads slide over and temporarily depress one or more of the spring-loaded pins until each of the spring-loaded pins makes electrical contact with a corresponding contact pad.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the central portion includes a channel; and

the contact pad is located within the channel.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the insertion portion may be received in a support hole in a side wall of the control unit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the binding portion is configured to be secured to an end of a wire connector.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the constrained portion is configured with a surface to facilitate manual insertion and removal from a control unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the constraint portion is configured to have a first outer contour that conforms to a second outer contour of the control unit to appear as a whole when inserted.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the constraint portion comprises a selectable function circuit.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the central portion includes a first notch and a second notch;

the socket including a first arm having a first tooth extending therefrom for insertion into the first recess; and

the socket includes a second arm having a second tooth extending therefrom for insertion into the second recess.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the socket includes a plurality of pin holes; and

each of the pin holes receives one of the spring-loaded pins.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the spring loading pin is fixed on the circuit board; and

each of the pins extends through a respective hole in the circuit board.