Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/66—Structural association with built-in electrical component
  • H01R13/70—Structural association with built-in electrical component with built-in switch
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/44—Means for preventing access to live contacts
  • H01R13/447—Shutter or cover plate
  • H01R13/453—Shutter or cover plate opened by engagement of counterpart
  • H01R13/4534—Laterally sliding shutter

Definitions

• This invention relates to socket for mains voltage supply circuits, and particularly to sockets incorporating switches, and having improved safety features
• the invention is especially (although not exclusively) applicable to the construction of "twin sockets", that is to say, outlets which incorporate two circuits in a single unit These are usually intended to be wall mounted, each of the outlets having a respective control switch which is adapted to connect it to, or isolate it from, the mains supply circuit
• "twin socket outlets” incorporate a pair of rocker style switch members, which are mounted on the front plate just above, and between, the positions of the sockets themselves, as illustrated in Figure 1
• one aim of the present invention is to provide a switch/socket mechanism which is easily reconfigurable, so that the or each actuating switch can be arranged to the left or right of its respective socket, that is to say, in the case of a twin socket outlet, in either
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a twin socket outlet front plate, incorporating "inboard” switches
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a twin socket outlet front plate, incorporating "outboard" switches
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of a reconfigurable switch mechanism in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, showing the switches in a "inboard" position,
• Figure 4 shows the same mechanism as Figure 3, but with the switch members arranged in the "outboard" position
• Figure 5 shows the same mechanism as Figures 3 and 4, but with the switch members arranged in "staggered” positions, that is to say, one "inboard” and one "outboard”,
• Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a switch mechanism in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention, including a switch/shutter interlock mechanism
• Figure 7 is a longitudinal cross-section of a twin socket mechanism, showing the rocker switch and interlock mechanism in a first position
• Figures 8 to 1 1 are cross-sections corresponding to the cross-section of Figure 7, showing the mechanism in different successive positions
• FIG. 3 the illustration shows the internal face of a moulding 2 which, in use, will be mounted behind a front plate of the general kind illustrated in Figure 1
• the moulding includes formations indicated generally at 4 and 6, which provide shuttered socket outlets, as well as respective mountings 8 and 10, above each of the sockets, for the operating members of rocker switch assemblies referenced generally as 12 and 14 respectively
• the moulding includes recesses 16 and 18 to receive the live and neutral pins of a mains plug, in a conventional side-by-side arrangement, as well as a corresponding recess 20 for the earth pin
• each socket is a recess for a switch mechanism of a generally known kind, incorporating metal blades, which is not illustrated in detail, but is adapted to be actuated by a plunger 22 which is mounted on a rocker arm 24
• Each rocker arm carries a pair of spaced apart projections 26 and 28 which are adapted to cooperate with mating recesses on the rear face of the front plate of the socket assembly, and the operating member 14 is mounted on one end of the rocker arm, so that the mechanism can be toggled between the on and off switch positions in the usual way, by pressure on the upper or lower parts of the front face of the member 14
• the inboard end of each rocker arm 24 is located in a suitably shaped inboard bracket member 30 (only the one for the lefthand rocker arm 24 being visible in the view of Figure 3) so that in the assembled condition as shown, the rocker arm and the actuating member are accurately located by a combination of the inboard bracket 30 at the inner end of the assembly, and the two projections 26 and 28 along the length of
• a corresponding outboard bracket 32 is also arranged at each of the extreme left and right-hand sides of the housing, and the arrangement is such that during assembly, the rocker arm 24 can either be positioned as shown in Figure 3, with its operating member 14 or 12 closest to the centre of the assembly, or, in effect by rotating it through
• the shutters 34 of the three pin socket are of a generally conventional kind, in which the insertion of the earth pin caused the shutter to slide upwardly, in a pair of guide channels 36, against the action of a centrally mounted spring (not shown) This moves the wings 38 of the shutter upwardly, so as to open the apertures for the insertion of the live and neutral pins of the plug
• the housing is also formed with additional pairs of guide grooves 40 to allow the incorporation of a more sophisticated shutter mechanism of the kind illustrated in Figure 6 This is designed to provide an interlock between the shutter member 42 and an alternative form of rocker arm 44, so that the mains switch will be automatically returned to the "off" position, if the plug is removed without the user switching off the supply first Similarly, the supply cannot be switched on again, unless a plug has been inserted
• the shutter also comprises a frame structure 46 which extends upwardly and outwardly from each side of the shutter and cooperates with the guide grooves 40, and also with a separate interlock member 48 which is adapted to engage beneath the lower edge of the corresponding end of the rocker member 44
• the rocker arm 44 of the Figure 6 embodiment is considerably longer than the rocker arm 24 of the embodiment shown in Figure 3 to 5, so that one end fits into each of its associated end brackets 30 and 32, rather than being “reversible” as in the case of rocker arm 24
• the rocker arm 44 is provided with a pair of upwardly and downwardly extending wings 50, 52 at each end
• a suitably formed operating member (not shown) which has cooperating downwardly and upwardly extending channels on its rear surface, can be slid onto the wings, from the "inboard” side, to occupy an actuating position at the desired end of the rocker arm 44
• the actuating member will then be effectively located in position, by a correspondingly shaped aperture in the front plate, after assembly of the complete socket
• the outwardly extending structures 46 of the shutter are each arranged to cooperate with an interlocking member 48 which, in turn, engages with the operating member 12 or 14, in such a way that the operating member can only be moved to the on position when a plug has been inserted, that is to say, when the interlocking members 48 are in their disengaged positions, as explained in more detail below
• the shutter mechanism moves downwardly, under its spring loading, and the corresponding movement of the interlocking members 48 causes the rocker arm 44, which is also spring loaded, to revert to the "off position
• this construction can also provide a single socket having alternative actuator member positions at either side of the socket, together with an interlocking mechanism between the shutter and the actuator member Because of the symmetrical construction of the actuator member 44 the interlocking mechanism is particularly reliable, and unlikely to become jammed, because the operating forces on the sliding and rotating parts are completely balanced, relative to the centreline of the socket, and the correspondingly centrally mounted switch mechanism 54
• FIGS 7 to 11 illustrate the operation of the switch contacts and interlock mechanism in more detail
• Figure 7 shows the switch mechanism in the 'ON' position, in which movable contact 50 is brought into contact with fixed contact 52 by a conventional overcentre action, when the rocker arm 44 has moved the plunger 22 to its upper rotational position Similarly, when plunger 22 is moved to its lower rotational position by movement of the rocker arm in the opposite direction, the movable contact 50 is disengaged from the fixed contact as shown in Figure 8 so that the switch is "OFF"
• Figure 9 shows the position of the interlock mechanism in the "OFF" condition, i e with the shutter closed
• the shutter frame 46 carries an enlarged extension 54 at its upper end forming an abutment which faces a corresponding projection 56 on the interlock member 48 when the shutter is down This blocks the movement of the lower end of the operating member 12 towards the "ON" position

Landscapes

• Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
• Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
• Harvester Elements (AREA)
• Lasers (AREA)
• Percussion Or Vibration Massage (AREA)
• Push-Button Switches (AREA)
• Switches With Compound Operations (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

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ID=9933084

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 2002
  • 2002-03-15 GB GB0206205A patent/GB2386480B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2003
  • 2003-03-12 DE DE60315269T patent/DE60315269D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-03-12 CN CN03806077.9A patent/CN1643745B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-03-12 EP EP03708347A patent/EP1485972B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-03-12 AU AU2003212527A patent/AU2003212527A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-03-12 AT AT03708347T patent/ATE368949T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-03-12 WO PCT/GB2003/001055 patent/WO2003079501A1/en active IP Right Grant

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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