EP2140524A2

EP2140524A2 - Ergonomic electrical connection system with a high level of security

Info

Publication number: EP2140524A2
Application number: EP08775626A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Serge Tachnoff
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-03-15
Filing date: 2008-03-03
Publication date: 2010-01-06
Anticipated expiration: 2028-03-03
Also published as: FR2913820B1; FR2913820A1; EP2140524B1; ES2352828T3; ATE481759T1; ES2352829T3; WO2008132307A4; DE602008002577D1; WO2008132307A2; WO2008132307A3; PL2140524T3

Abstract

The outlet (10) has gripping wings (21, 22) tiltably mounted on an electrically insulating body between gripping and safety positions. The wings are extended parallel to axes of connection pins (15, 16) in the gripping position for being gripped between two fingers to permit plugging-in or removal of the outlet. The wings are folded perpendicular to the axes in the safety position to close a cavity of a female outlet (1) when the outlet (10) is plugged into the outlet (1), or to avoid access to a ground terminal of the outlet (1) when the outlet (1) does not have the cavity.

Description

ERGONOMIC ELECTRICAL CONNECTION ASSEMBLY WITH HIGH SECURITY.

The present invention relates to an ergonomic electrical connection assembly with a high level of security.

It relates more particularly, but not exclusively, a male / female assembly of small thickness in which the small plug, is intended for connection to the domestic electrical network, low power devices whose insulation does not require a grounding.

This type of plug with two branches, which is commonly used for lighting devices, has a volume as low as possible, especially for reasons of lightness, cost and space. Some of these jacks are designed to be able to engage in wall sockets arranged, for example behind a piece of furniture folded against the wall on which the socket is arranged.

The disadvantage of these plugs is that because of their small size, they are not very ergonomic and are difficult to plug or extract the socket.

This is particularly the case when the connectors of the socket open into the bottom of a cavity (usually cylindrical) of the body of the catch. It is particularly difficult to take the plug as well to make a connection that to ensure extraction, taking the fingertips.

This operation is made even more difficult when the socket is provided with security means closing the ports for access to the connectors: these security means oppose the introduction of the pins of the plug, then exert on these pins shear forces requiring a relatively large extraction effort.

Another significant disadvantage of these plugs is that to be able to sink into sockets equipped with ground connection pins, they must have a relatively small width. Indeed, to be plugged in, the male pin must allow the passage of the grounding pin of the socket (to the right or to the left of it).

Therefore, when plugging or removing the plug, the operator may come into electrical contact with the ground while holding firmly this plug. It is clear that this contact is not free of risk, especially in the case of a defect affecting the ground line and defective insulation between the ground wires and the electrical conductors of the sector, either at the level of the connections of the network, or devices connected to this network. This risk also exists for children who can access the grounding pin with their fingers when the plug is plugged in. It also affects other types of sockets such as, for example, outlets with ground connection at the periphery of the socket body.

The object of the invention is therefore more particularly to eliminate these disadvantages. For this purpose, it proposes an electrical connection assembly comprising a plug comprising, in a conventional manner, a body made of electrically insulating material having two opposite main faces, a lower face in which two connection pins engage, an upper face. , two lateral faces and an electric cable connected to the upper part of one of the lateral faces, the two conductors of which are respectively connected to the two pins inside said body. This plug is dimensioned so that it can be plugged in particular, but not exclusively, into a socket having a body provided with a cavity having a bottom into which two female connection elements open and from which extends a pin ground connection. The two main faces of the body of the plug are separated from each other by a distance at most equal to twice the distance between the earth connection pin and the straight line connecting the female connection elements. In the plugged position of the plug, the upper face of its body protrudes slightly beyond the aforesaid cavity so that the electric cable does not bend.

According to the invention, this plug comprises two gripping wings which extend laterally, on either side of the longitudinal median plane of said body, these two flanges being pivotally mounted on said body between two positions, namely:

- a gripping position in which the two wings extend approximately parallel to the axes of said pins, so that it can be taken between two fingers to allow the plugging or extraction of said plug, and

a safety position in which the two wings are folded approximately perpendicular to said axes, so as to at least partially close the cavity of the socket when the plug is _.

plugged into the socket, make it difficult to access the grounding terminal and thus play the role of a security socket cover.

Advantageously, the socket according to the invention may comprise temporary locking means such as, for example, latching means arranged between the body of the socket and the wings so as to ensure a temporary retention of the wings in the gripping position and / or in the safety position and / or possibly in folded position against the body, position in which the socket can be used as a conventional socket.

Furthermore, the two wings may be coupled to one another by a mechanism such as, for example, a gear so that the tilting of one of the wings causes the tilting of the other wing.

In addition, these two wings may be shaped so that in the gripping position, they abut against each other, thereby increasing their gripping ability for the insertion or extraction of the grip .

Embodiments of the invention will be described below, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are two schematic perspective views of a plug whose two gripping wings are secured to one another, Figure 1 showing the taken in the extracted position and Figure 2 showing the same taken in position plugged into a socket;

Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to Figures 1 and 2 of a plug having two independent wings hinged about two respective transverse axes; _.

Figures 5 and 6 are two views similar to Figures 3 and 4 of a plug having two independent wings hinged about two respective longitudinal axes;

Figures 7 and 8 are two perspective views of an alternative embodiment of the socket shown in Figures 5 and 6;

Figures 9 and 10 show an alternative embodiment of the socket shown in Figures 5 and 6, wherein the two wings are hinged about a common longitudinal axis;

Figures 11 and 12 are perspective views of an alternative embodiment of the socket shown in Figures 9 and 10;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a conventional type socket including a ground connection pin.

The plugs shown in FIGS. 1 to 12 are low-power outlets mounted on two-wire wireless cables. These jacks are designed and dimensioned so that they can be plugged into sockets with a grounding pin such as, for example, those partially shown in Figures 1 to 6, and whose upper part is visible on the figure 13.

This socket 1 comprises a cylindrical body 2 open on one side and closed on the other side by a bottom 3.

At its orifice, the body 2 is extended by a radial collar 4 whose outer edge has a square shape. This border is itself extended by an axial flange 5 coming back (at right angles) towards the bottom. - -

The bottom 3 comprises two orifices 6, 7 symmetrical with respect to the axis of the body 2 and a third orifice through which a ground connection pin 8 extends axially over part of the height of the body 2.

This socket 1 is normally designed for male plugs with cylindrical body adapted to engage in the body cavity of the socket and which comprises two male pins adapted to engage in the orifices 6, 7 of the socket and a female connector in which engages the ground connection pin 8. Of course, in this case the aforementioned security problems do not arise.

Similarly, the ergonomics problems are less acute because the plug is relatively bulky and protrudes outside the socket cavity when plugged into it, the protruding portion then serving as a grasping organ.

As previously mentioned, the invention relates to a plug of dimensions as small as possible, this plug does not include a connection to the earth but is designed so as to be connected to a socket equipped with a connection pin to the earth, such as that shown in Figure 13.

For this purpose, this plug 10 has a flat shape whose thickness is at most equal to twice the distance between the male pin 8 and the straight line connecting the axes of the two orifices 6, 7 of the socket 1.

The length of this plug is, in turn, smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical cavity of the body 2 of the socket 1. Its height may be slightly greater than the depth of the cavity, so as to allow a radial departure of the cable electrical connector 11 connected to the socket 10. Nevertheless the invention is not limited to this provision: the electric cable could be connected obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the body so as to avoid the overlap of the son of two plugs plugged side by side.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 12, the plug 10 has a flat, substantially parallelepipedal shape, comprising two planar, main parallel faces 12, 13, a planar lower face 14 carrying the two pins 15, 16 of FIG. the socket and two curved lateral faces 17, 18 whose radius of curvature is slightly less than that of the cavity of the body 2 of the socket 1. The connection of the electric cable 11 to the socket 10 is effected at the level of the face 18 at a height slightly greater than the depth of the body cavity 2 of the socket 1.

In the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, the upper face 19 of the socket 10 is flat, or slightly curved.

The gripping and safety functions of the socket are provided by a slightly curved plate having a U-shape comprising two relatively wide wings 21, 22 connected to one another at one of their ends by a web 23. The distance separating the two wings 21, 22 is substantially equal to the thickness of the grip 10.

This plate 20 is arranged so as to overlap the socket 10. The two wings 21, 22 which extend against the main faces 12, 13 over their entire length are hinged to the socket 10 about an axis perpendicular to the main faces, thanks to two journals 23 provided on the wings 21, 22 which engage in two respective holes made in the upper part of the median region of the lateral faces 12, 13.

With this arrangement, the wings 21, 22 can tilt simultaneously to pass from an extraction position and / or gripping position shown in FIG. 1, in which they extend obliquely or perpendicularly to the upper 19 and lower 14 faces, to a safety position where it extends parallel to said faces 19, 14 (Figure 2).

In the safety position, the wings 21, 22 at least partially cover the upper face of the socket 1, by closing the cavity. Access to the grounding pin 8 is then prohibited.

An advantage of the solution described above is that, from the safety position, during the tilting of the wings 21, 22 to the extraction position (or gripping), under the effect of a traction performed at level of the core 23, the free edges of the wings 21, 22 bear on the upper face of the socket 1 by exerting a pulling force facilitating the extraction of the plug 10.

In the example illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the plug 30 is provided with two U-shaped plates 31, 32, similar to the previously described plate, but in which the flanges 33, 34 - 35, 36 have a length approximately equal to half that of taking 30.

These two plates 31, 32 overlap the plug 30 and are hinged thereto, at the end of the flanges 33, 34 - 35, 36 about two respective parallel axes 37, 38 perpendicular to the main faces 39, 40 and 40. located in the upper middle part thereof.

In the gripping position, the two plates 31, 32 are folded against each other above the upper face 41.

In this position, the two plates 31, 32 can be easily grasped between the fingers. In the safety position, the two plates 31, 32 are folded in a plane parallel to the upper 41 and lower 42 faces, so as to cover at least partially the upper face of the socket 1 by closing its cylindrical cavity.

The position of the axes 37, 38 relative to the end of the wings 33, 34 - 35, 36 and / or the conformation of said ends are designed so that during the tilting of the plates 31, 32, the wings 33 , 34 - 35, 36 exert on the socket 1 a force generating by reaction a pulling force of the plug 30.

In the example illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the upper face of the body of the receptacle 50 comprises in its central part, two parallelepipedal lateral recesses 51, 52 separated from each other by a longitudinal central partition 53, of so that this upper face has substantially the shape of an H. In this example, the plug 50 comprises two lateral wings 54, 55 of substantially rectangular shape, slightly curved adapted to improve the grip.

One of the longitudinal edges of these wings comprises two protuberances 56, 57 - 58, 59 terminated by journals which engage in bores made in the opposite transverse faces of a recess 51, 52 corresponding, so as to pivot around an axis parallel to the longitudinal median plane of symmetry of the plug 50. Thanks to these arrangements, the wings 54, 55 can pass from a gripping position, in which they extend substantially parallel to the longitudinal median plane of symmetry (Figure 5) to a safety position in which they extend substantially in the same plane parallel to the plane of the upper faces 53 and lower 60 of the socket 51: according to this embodiment, the wings 54, 55 are provided with notches between the protuberances 56, 57 - 58, 59. Optionally, the wings 54, 55 (and / or the body) may be shaped so that they can occupy a folded position against the body, so as to use the plug as a standard socket.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 differs from that of FIGS. 5 and 6 in that the upper face 61 of the socket 62 is provided with two pairs of opposite parallelepiped cavities 63, 64 - 65, 66 defining a central partition 67 provided with two opposite central shoulders 68, 69, this assembly constituting substantially a spider.

The two wings 70, 71, of substantially rectangular shape, each have, at the ends of one of their longitudinal edges, two protuberances 72, 73 - 72 ', 73' intended to engage in two parallelepiped cavities 63, 64 - 65, 66 located on the same side. These two protuberances 72, 73 - 72 ', 73' are articulated on the central shoulder 68, 69 which separates the two cavities, around a longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the socket 62. The operation of these wings is substantially the same as that of the wings 54, 55 of the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6.

In the example illustrated in Figures 9 and 10, the upper face 80 of the socket 81 comprises a transverse central cavity 82 which extends from one main face to the other between two end portions 85, 86.

This socket 81 comprises two wings 87, 88 of substantially rectangular shape, one of the longitudinal edges is provided with a protrusion 89 constituting a half-hinge. The two wings 87, 88 are articulated by these half-hinges about a common longitudinal axis carried by the two end portions 85, 86. In the gripping position, the two wings 87, 88 extend over the upper face 80 on either side of the longitudinal median plane of symmetry of the socket 80 forming a dihedron. In the safety position, they extend in the same plane perpendicular to said plane of symmetry.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 differs from that of FIGS. 9 and 10 in that the two wings 90, 91 are hinged about two longitudinal axes 92, 93 parallel to the longitudinal median plane of the receptacle 94, the protuberances 95, 96 then forming hinges which extend over the entire length of the cavity 97.

This solution allows in particular to obtain a firmer gripping position in which the two wings 90, 91 are applied against each other in said plane of symmetry.

Thanks to the previously described arrangements, plugged position of the plug, access to the electrical organs of the socket and also to the pins of the plug is made difficult even in the case where the plug is not only partially engaged in the socket. The wings in the folded position further provide protection of the socket against external elements such as, for example, splashing.

This is as valid in the case of a socket with a cavity as in the case of a socket without cavity.

Claims

claims

1. An ergonomic electrical connection assembly with a high level of security, this assembly involving a socket and a plug (10) of the male type comprising, in a conventional manner, a body of electrically insulating material having two opposite main faces (12, 13 ), a lower face (14) in which two connecting pins (15, 16) engage, an upper face (19), two side faces (17, 18) and an electric cable (11) connected to the part upper side of one of the lateral faces (18) whose two conductors are respectively connected to the two pins (15, 16) inside said body, characterized in that said plug comprises two gripping wings (21, 22). which extend laterally, on either side of the longitudinal median plane of said body, these two wings (21, 22) being pivotally mounted on said body between two positions, namely:

a gripping position in which the two flanges (21, 22) extend approximately parallel to the axes of said spindles (15, 16), so that they can be gripped between two fingers in order to allow said plug to be plugged or extracted , and

a safety position in which the two wings (21, 22) are folded approximately perpendicularly to said axes, so as to close at least partially the space between the plug and the socket (1) when the plug (10) ) is plugged into the socket (1), and / or make it more difficult to access the earthing terminal (8) possibly present in said socket, even in the case where the socket does not have any cavity.

2. An assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the plug is dimensioned so as to come plug in a socket (1) having a body (2) provided with a cavity having a bottom (3) into which two female connection elements open and from which extends a ground connection pin (8), in that the two main faces (12, 13) of the socket body male (10) are spaced from each other by a distance at most equal to the distance between the earth connection pin (8) and the straight line connecting the female connection elements (6, 7), and in that, in the plugged position of the plug (10), the upper face (19) of its body protrudes slightly beyond the said cavity so that the electric cable (11) does not undergo bending .

3. An assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that the plug has a flat shape, substantially parallelepiped, having two flat faces, main (12, 13) parallel, a flat bottom face carrying the two pins (15, 16) of the socket and two curved lateral faces (17, 18) whose radius of curvature is slightly smaller than that of the body cavity of the socket (1).

4. The assembly of claim 3, characterized in that the connection of the electric cable to the plug is effected at the side face (18) at a height slightly greater than the depth of the cavity.

5. An assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electric cable is connected to the body of the plug parallel or obliquely to the longitudinal axis of said body.

6. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the functions of gripping and safety of the plug are provided by a slightly curved plate (20), having a U-shape comprising two relatively wide wings (21, 22) connected to one another by one of their ends by a transverse core (23), this plate (20) being arranged so as to overlap the catch (10) while the two wings (21, 22) which extend against the main faces (12, 13) over their entire length are hinged to grip around a axis perpendicular to the main faces (12, 13).

7. The assembly of claim 1, characterized in that the plug comprises two U-shaped plates (31, 32) overlapping the plug (30) and articulated thereto at the ends of their wings (33, 34). 35, 36) around two respective parallel axes perpendicular to the main faces (39, 40) of the receptacle (30) and situated in the middle part thereof.

8. An assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper face (53) of the plug comprises in its central portion, two lateral recesses (51, 52) parallelepiped separated from each other by a longitudinal central partition. (53), so that this upper face has substantially the shape of an H, and in that it comprises two lateral wings (54, 55) each having two protuberances (56, 57 - 58, 59) terminated by trunnions which engage holes in opposite transverse faces of a corresponding recess (51, 52) so as to be pivotable about an axis parallel to the longitudinal median plane of symmetry of the receptacle (50).

9. An assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that the wings have notches between said protuberances (56, 57 - 58, 59).

10. The assembly of claim 1, characterized in that the upper face (61) of the plug is provided with two pairs of opposite parallelepiped cavities (63, 64 - 65, 66) delimiting a central partition (67) provided with two opposite central shoulders (68, 69), and in that it comprises two wings (70, 71) each having, at the ends of one of their longitudinal edges, two protuberances (72, 73 - 72 ', 73') intended to engage and articulate in two parallelepiped cavities (64, 65 - 63, 66) located on the same side.

11. The assembly of claim 1, characterized in that the upper face of the plug comprises a transverse central cavity (82) which extends from one main face (83) to the other (84) between two portions of ends (85, 86), and in that said plug comprises two wings (87, 88) of substantially rectangular shape, one of whose longitudinal edges is provided with a protuberance (89) constituting a half-hinge, said wings (87, 88) being articulated by these half-hinges about a common longitudinal axis carried by the two end portions (85, 86).

12. The assembly of claim 1, characterized in that the plug comprises a transverse central cavity (97) which extends from one main face to the other between two end portions and in that it comprises two wings (90, 91) articulated around two longitudinal axes (92, 93) parallel to the longitudinal median plane of the socket, the protuberances (95) then forming hinges which extend over the entire length of the cavity (97) .

13. The assembly of claim 1, characterized in that the said wings have a convex shape adapted to improve the grip.

14. Assembly according to one of claims 6 to 13, characterized in that the aforesaid wings are reformed so as to abut one on the other, in the gripping position.

15. An assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the plug comprises temporary locking means such as, for example, latching means disposed between the body of the socket and the wings so as to ensure a temporary retention of wings in the gripping position and / or in the safety position and / or possibly in the folded position against the body.