CN2475187Y

CN2475187Y - Power pinboard

Info

Publication number: CN2475187Y
Application number: CN00232932U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 黄景云
Original assignee: RONGHUA ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE PRODUCTS FACTORY CO Ltd
Current assignee: RONGHUA ELECTRICAL APPLIANCE PRODUCTS FACTORY CO Ltd
Priority date: 1999-12-07
Filing date: 2000-05-30
Publication date: 2002-01-30
Anticipated expiration: 2010-05-30
Also published as: HK1035965A1; GB2357196B; GB2357196A; GB9928961D0

Abstract

A power supply plug board (100) comprises a body (10) which is provided with a front wall (12) and at least one socket (20) thereon which is used for inserting power supply plugs, a conductor which is arranged in the body (10) and power the socket from the main power supply, an inner placed switch (30) which is provided with an actuator (35) which can disconnect or connect the power supply of the socket. The actuator is provided with two components (37, 38) which are arranged on the two opposite lateral sides of the body front wall (12). Each component extends from the actuator to the outer direction of the socket.

Description

Power supply plugboard

The utility model relates to a can provide power supply plugboard of one or more socket.

Power patch panels are widely used to provide power from a mains power supply to one or more electrical devices connected to the patch panel via a power plug. According to certain design, each socket of the plugboard is provided with a single built-in switch for switching on or off power supply.

For most, if not all, of the receptacles used, it is sometimes difficult for the user to access and operate these switches because they are blocked by the various power plugs and adapters on the patch panel. The situation is even worse when the patch panel is used in a limited space.

The present invention aims to provide an improved power strip of the general type which solves or at least mitigates this problem.

According to the utility model discloses, a power supply plugboard is provided, it includes: a body having a front wall on which at least one socket for receiving a power plug is disposed; a conductor disposed within the body and electrically connected between the primary power source and the receptacle; and a built-in switch provided with an actuator for turning on or off the power supply to the socket and electrically connected between the conductor and the socket, wherein the actuator has two parts provided on opposite sides of a front wall of the body, each part projecting from the actuator in a direction outward of the socket.

Preferably, the two parts are integral parts of the actuator, which move simultaneously on operation of the switch.

More preferably, the actuator is elongate, having opposite ends which act as two components.

In a preferred embodiment, the actuator is slidable relative to the body to operate the switch.

More preferably, the actuator is slidable within a range that limits the two parts of the actuator from extending beyond the respective opposite sides of the body.

In a preferred arrangement, the actuator is located immediately behind the front wall of the body and the opposite side edges of the body are formed with openings to expose the respective actuator parts.

More preferably, each part of the actuator is raised to form a handle for operation by a user.

Preferably, at least one of the two parts of the actuator is marked to indicate the switch state when the part is fully exposed through the corresponding opening.

Preferably, an optical signal is provided immediately behind one of the two openings, which can indicate the switching state when the corresponding part of the actuator is minimally exposed through the opening.

In a particular embodiment, the body is elongate and a series of sockets are provided on a front wall of the body, each socket being associated with a respective said switch for individual operation.

The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherein,

fig. 1 is a front view of a power strip with a built-in switch according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view corresponding to FIG. 1, showing the internal structure of the power strip;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the power strip of FIG. 1 taken along line A-A, shown disconnected;

fig. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the power strip of fig. 1 taken along line B-B, illustrating the power strip turned on.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a power strip 100 embodying the invention, having an elongate body 10. A row of 4 power outlets 20A-20D (or collectively 20) are provided on the front face (or wall) 12 of the body 10 for receiving corresponding power plugs (not shown). Each receptacle 20 has three

apertures

22E, 22N and 22L for receiving a respective ground, neutral and hot plug from a power plug. Each receptacle 20 is controlled by a separate built-in switch 30 having a first terminal 31 and a second terminal 32.

Extending longitudinally within the body 10 are a ground busbar 40, a neutral busbar 42 and a live busbar 44, all of which are connected at their left ends to a mains power supply. The ground busbar 40 is formed with 4U-shaped pin contacts 41 located behind the respective ground apertures 22E. A neutral bus 42 extends behind the neutral hole 22N and is provided with 4 corresponding pin contacts 43. The live bus 44 is physically connected to the 4 live apertures 22L by respective wire links 45. The connecting rods 45 are electrically connected to the live busbar 44 via the respective switches 30, the first terminals 31 of which are connected to the live busbar 44. Each link 45 has a first end providing a latch contact 46 proximate the corresponding fire hole 22L and a second end 47 connected to the second terminal 32 of the corresponding switch 30.

Each power outlet 20 is arranged so that its ground pin contact 41 and neutral pin contact 43 are permanently connected to the ground busbar 40 and neutral busbar 42 respectively, and the connection of the live pin contact 46 (or link 45) to the common live busbar 44 is made and broken by the respective switch 30.

Each socket 20 is provided with an indicator light 50 to indicate the status of the corresponding switch 30. The lights 50 are electrically connected between the common neutral bus 42 and the respective links 45, so that when the switch connects the link 45 to the live bus 44, the lights 50 are on; when switch 30 disconnects link 45 from hot bus 44, lamp 50 is turned off.

On the right side of each receptacle 20 (intermediate two adjacent receptacles 20), the front wall 12 of the patch panel body 10 is formed with a pair of

openings

14 and 16 on opposite sides (upper and lower sides as shown).

Spaced from the first and second terminals 31 and 32 (connected to the common live bus 44 and the individual links 45 respectively), the interior of each switch 30 includes a contact lever 33 (as shown in figures 3 to 4) which connects the second terminal 32 to the first terminal 31 and a bistable spring-loaded socket 34 which pivots the lever 33 (between the states of figures 3 and 4).

In addition, the switch 30 is equipped with a separate actuator 35 that toggles the socket 34. Each actuator 35 has an elongate body 36 and includes a projection 39 on its rear side. Body 36 has integral opposite ends 37 and 38. The actuator 35 is housed within the patch panel body 10, slidably resting against the rear side of the front wall 12, extending transversely with respect to the length direction of the patch panel body 10.

Each actuator 35 is arranged so that its ends 37 and 38 can be exposed through the

respective openings

14 and 16 of the patch panel body 10 and so that its projection 39 engages the associated socket 34. The distal end of each end 37/38 rises and is serrated to form a finger or thumb operable handle 37A/38A. The user grasps one of the

handles

37A or 38A and slides the actuator 35 in the opposite lengthwise direction (up and down as shown) to toggle the socket 34 and thus open or close the switch 30 to complete the operation (between fig. 3 and 4).

Immediately behind each opening 14 in the front wall 12 of the body is a colored transparent or translucent light guide 52 illuminated by a corresponding indicator light 50 in the patch panel body 10. The light guides 52 are intended to transmit the light of the indicator lights 50 to the outside, providing an optical signal representative of the (on-off) state of the respective switch 30, when the end 37 of the associated actuator 35 slides open or at least emerges through the opening 14 (see the switches 30 of the sockets 20B to 20D of fig. 1).

The end of each actuator 35 is labeled with the word "OFF" (as shown in connection with switch 30 of receptacle 20A of fig. 1) at a location adjacent end handle 37A for indicating the (OFF) state of the corresponding switch 30 when end 37 is slid or fully exposed through the corresponding opening of body front wall 12. It is understood that the opposite end 38 is additionally or alternatively labeled with the word "ON" to provide an equivalent indication.

By providing access to the

handles

37A and 38A from opposite sides of the body 10 of the patch panel 100, a user can conveniently operate the switch 30 from either side, even in confined spaces using the patch panel 100.

Each actuator 35 is slidable within a range that limits its

end handles

37A and 38A from extending past the respective opposite sides of the patch panel body 10. In this way, accidental operation by a nearby object hitting the handle 37A/38A is avoided.

It will be appreciated that the power strip of the present invention has only one socket in its simplest form.

The present invention has been given by way of example only, and various modifications and/or alterations to the above-described embodiments may be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A power strip, comprising: a body having a front wall on which at least one socket for receiving a power plug is disposed; a conductor disposed within the body and electrically connected between the primary power source and the receptacle; a built-in switch provided with an actuator for turning on or off the supply of electricity to the socket and electrically connected between the conductor and the socket, wherein the actuator has two members provided on opposite sides of a front wall of the body, each member projecting from the actuator in a direction outward of the socket.

2. The power strip of claim 1 wherein the two members are integral with the actuator and move simultaneously during operation of the switch.

3. The power strip of claim 2, wherein the actuator is elongated having opposite ends for the two members.

4. The power strip of claim 1, wherein the actuator is disposed immediately behind the front wall of the body, and wherein the body is formed with two openings on opposite sides thereof to expose respective actuator members.

5. A power strip as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one of the two parts of the actuator carries indicia to indicate the switch state when the part is fully exposed through the respective opening.

6. A power strip as claimed in claim 4 wherein an optical signal is provided immediately behind one of the two openings to indicate the switch state when the corresponding part of the actuator is minimally exposed through the opening.

7. A power strip as claimed in claim 1 wherein the body is elongate and a series of sockets are provided on a front wall of the body, each socket being associated with a respective said switch for individual operation.