EP3350885A1

EP3350885A1 - Electrical socket with retractable electrical contacts, including a closing device

Info

Publication number: EP3350885A1
Application number: EP16767327.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sylvain NICOT
Original assignee: Gulplug SAS
Current assignee: Gulplug SAS
Priority date: 2015-09-16
Filing date: 2016-09-01
Publication date: 2018-07-25
Also published as: CN108352646A; FR3041171A1; US20180254574A1; WO2017046469A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical socket (1) comprising: a housing (10) comprising at least one first opening; at least one mobile assembly comprising at least one first electrical contact, arranged so as to move said first electrical contact through said first opening between a first position retracted inside the socket and a second position in which the first electrical contact is outside the socket; a first device for closing said first opening, comprising a first flap (160) and a second flap (161) which are arranged so as to close or open the first opening; and at least one drive system arranged so as to transform a translational movement of the mobile assembly into a rotational movement of the flaps of the closing device.

Description

Electric plug socket with retractable electrical contacts,

including a shutter device

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a set of electrical outlet. The electrical outlet assembly comprises a base and an electrical plug adapted to be fitted on the base. State of the art

The patent application WO2012032230A1 discloses a set of electrical outlet comprising a base and an electrical plug for fitting on the base. The plug has two electrical tracks for electrically connecting two electrical contacts of the base. The two electrical contacts have the particularity of moving between a retracted position inside the base and a position outside the base. When they are retracted inside the base, they are inaccessible, making the plug perfectly safe. When the plug is approached from the base, magnetic control means, comprising a permanent magnet integrated in the plug and a movable magnetic element housed in the base and secured to the electrical contacts, allow the extraction of the electrical contacts of the base and their connection with electric tracks. When the plug is uncoupled from the base, a mechanical spring system repositions the moving mechanism inside the base.

To close the access to the electrical contacts when they are retracted inside the base, it is known to use flaps that are movable between two positions.

The patent application WO2012032230A1 thus describes a pivoting shutter mechanism present on the base. Each shutter is pivotally mounted on an axis independently and biased by a spring. When the electrical contacts are moved to the outside of the base, they each push a flap against its spring. This solution has several disadvantages:

- A large space, particularly related to the positioning of the springs, a risk of premature wear of the flaps, they being pushed directly by the electrical contacts.

The patent application FR2918216A1 describes a sliding shutter mechanism in which the movement of each electrical contact towards the outside of the base causes a corresponding movement of an electric shutter. A spring, made in the form of a flexible blade, connects each flap with an electrical contact. The movement of translation of the electrical contact along an axis perpendicular to the coupling plane of the plug on the base, is transformed into a translation movement of the flap along a plane parallel to said coupling plane. In this solution, the risk of premature wear of the shutters is avoided. But it has other disadvantages, among which:

- a large size, related to the clearance required for the translation of the shutters,

an unsightly rendering, the use of a slider does not make it possible to propose a base with a perfectly flat front face,

unsatisfactory reliability, linked to the use of slides, sources of malfunctions.

The object of the invention is to propose a solution for preventing access to the electrical contacts when they are retracted inside the base, this solution being arranged to overcome the disadvantages of the state of the art listed below. above.

Presentation of the invention

This goal is achieved by a socket base comprising:

a housing comprising at least a first opening,

at least one movable assembly comprising at least a first electrical contact, arranged to move in a translation direction said first electrical contact through said first opening between a first position in which the first electrical contact is retracted inside the base and a second position in which the first electrical contact is outside the base,

a first closure device of said first opening comprising a first flap arranged to pivot between a first position in which it at least partially closes said first opening when the first electrical contact is retracted inside the base and a second position in which it releases the first opening to let the first electrical contact to the outside of the base,

at least one drive system arranged to transform a translational movement of the movable assembly into a rotational movement of the flaps of the closure device.

the drive system comprising at least one arm connected on the one hand to the moving assembly by means of a cam and follower mechanism and on the other hand to said first component and arranged to transform, thanks to cam and follower mechanism, a translational movement of the assembly movable in a rotational movement of the first component of the first shutter device.

Advantageously, the first closure device comprises a second flap cooperating with said first flap to close said first opening when the first electrical contact is retracted inside the base.

Advantageously:

the housing has a second opening,

the movable assembly comprises a second electrical contact arranged to move in the said direction of translation between a retracted position inside the base and a position outside the base through the said second opening when the assembly is displaced; mobile,

a second closure device of said second opening comprises a first flap and a second flap arranged to pivot between a first position in which they at least partially close said second opening when the second electrical contact is retracted inside the base and a second position in which they release the second opening to let the second electrical contact to the outside of the base.

Advantageously, the drive system comprises:

a first driving device arranged to simultaneously actuate the first shutter of the first shutter device and the first shutter of the second shutter device,

a second drive device arranged to simultaneously actuate the second shutter of the first shutter device and the second shutter of the second shutter device.

According to the invention, the first drive device comprises an arm composed of a main branch having an end bearing a cam follower, said first cam follower, and two secondary branches extending the main branch and each connected by their free end. the first shutter of the first shutter device and the first shutter of the second shutter device.

According to the invention, the drive system comprises a cam, said first cam, integral with the movable assembly and cooperating with the first drive device via said first cam follower.

Advantageously, the first cam comprises two consecutive rectilinear segments, a first rectilinear segment inclined with respect to said translation direction and a second rectilinear segment made in the direction of translation. According to the invention, the second drive device comprises an arm composed of a main branch having an end bearing a cam follower, said second cam follower, and two secondary branches extending the main branch and each connected by their free end. the second shutter of the first shutter device and the second shutter of the second shutter device.

Advantageously, the drive system comprises a cam, said second cam, integral with the movable assembly and cooperating with the second drive device via said second cam follower. Advantageously, the second cam comprises two consecutive rectilinear segments, a first rectilinear segment inclined with respect to said translation direction and a second rectilinear segment made in the direction of translation.

According to the invention, each flap is pivotally mounted about an axis.

The invention also relates to an electrical socket assembly comprising: a base comprising at least two first electrical contacts connected to an electrical supply circuit, a first moving magnetic integral part of the first two electrical contacts, said first magnetic part being arranged to moving by magnetic effect between a first position in which the first electrical contacts are retracted inside the base and a second position in which the first electrical contacts are outside the base,

a plug intended to be coupled to the base and comprising two second electrical contacts intended to connect electrically to the two first electrical contacts when they are outside the base and a second magnetic part arranged vis-à-vis the first magnetic part when the plug is coupled to the base to move, by magnetic effect, the first magnetic part to its second position, causing the first electrical contacts to the outside of the base,

the base being as defined above.

Brief description of the figures

Other features and advantages will appear in the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example of an architecture of the electrical socket assembly of the invention, respectively with the plug separated from the base and the plug fitted on the base,

FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate the operating principle of the closure device of the invention, respectively when the flaps are in the closed position and the spindle retracted, when the flaps are open and the spindle in an intermediate position between its retracted position and its extracted position and when the flaps are open and the pin extracted from the base.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a drive device connected to the first two shutters,

FIG. 4 represents in perspective a drive device connected to the two second shutters,

Figure 5 shows in perspective the cam mechanism cooperating with the two drive devices. Detailed description of at least one embodiment

The invention is used in the context of a magnetic plug assembly operating by magnetic effect.

With reference to the appended figures, an electrical socket assembly of the invention comprises a base 1 and an electrical plug 2 intended to fit on the base 1.

The base 1 comprises a plastic housing 10 intended for example to be embedded in a wall. The base 1 has a front face 1 1 against which can adapt the plug. The base also comprises a mobile assembly 12 comprising two first electrical contacts, for example made in the form of pins 120, 121. The first two electrical contacts are connected to an electrical supply circuit 15 by means of conductive electrical wires. The moving assembly 12 also comprises a first movable magnetic part 13 arranged to move in translation, in a translation direction (X) perpendicular to the front face 1 1, by magnetic effect between a first position and a second position. A spring 14 positioned inside the casing 10 of the base, for example fixed on the one hand to the casing 10 of the base and on the other hand to the moving assembly 12, is arranged to bring the first magnetic part 13 back into its first position. position when the magnetic effect necessary for the extraction is no longer important enough. In the first position of the first magnetic part 13, the pins 120, 121 are retracted inside the base 1 and in the second position of the first magnetic part 13, the pins 120, 121 are protruding outside the base 1, passing through its front face 1 1. In its second position, the moving assembly comes into abutment, for example against a part of the housing 10.

The electrical plug 2 comprises, for its part, a plastic housing 20 having a front face 21 intended to bear against the front face 1 1 of the base 1, defining a junction plane P (defined vertically in the appended figures) between the base 1 and the plug 2. The plug 2 further comprises two second electrical contacts, for example two electrical tracks 220, 221 made flush on its front face 21 and intended to come into electrical contact with the two pins 120, 121 of the base 1. It also includes a second magnetic part 23 fixed inside the housing and intended to attract the first magnetic part 13 when the plug 2 is approaching the base 1 in order to move the movable assembly and to extract the pins 120, 121. Preferably, the two electrical tracks 220, 221 are of circular shape and positioned concentrically.

The first magnetic part and / or the second magnetic part comprises at least one permanent magnet so as to generate a magnetic flux between the two magnetic parts.

Different magnetic architectures can thus be envisaged, such as those described in applications EP2628213, EP2667459, ... However, these are not the subject of the present application and it should be understood that the invention can adapt to any architecture as long as it provides for the presence of a maximum magnetic flux between the first magnetic portion and the second magnetic portion when the plug is fitted on the base and decreasing when the plug is removed from the base. With reference to the appended figures, the first magnetic part 13 comprises, for example, a permanent magnet 130 of annular shape and the second magnetic part 23 comprises a permanent magnet 230 of annular shape. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, the permanent magnet 130 is for example fixed on a ferromagnetic part 4. The permanent magnet 130 and the permanent magnet 230 are intended to be positioned coaxially when the plug 2 is approaching the base 1. When the plug 2 is opposite the base 1, the permanent magnet 130 and the permanent magnet 230 are arranged so as to each have an air gap surface parallel to the junction plane.

According to the invention, the base also comprises for each pin, a closure device for preventing access to the pin 120, 121 when the latter is retracted inside the base 1. This closure device is consists of two flaps 160, 161-170, 171 for each spindle.

For a pin, the two flaps are arranged to pivot in a conventional manner, as the shutters affixed to obscure a window. Thus, the two components have the following characteristics:

in a first position, the two flaps are arranged to obstruct the space reserved for the passage of the spindle,

in their first position, the surface of the flaps is flush with the front face 1 1 of the base,

in a second position, the two flaps are arranged to release the space reserved for the passage of the electric spindle, each flap is pivotally mounted about an axis (designated (a) and (b) in the figures),

for each pin, the two axes (a), (b) of the two flaps extend in parallel with each other, perpendicular to the direction of translation of the moving assembly,

for each pin, the two flaps are arranged to open by pivoting about their axis in opposite directions of rotation.

The base having two pins 120, 121, the device comprises two pairs of flaps, designated first pair of flaps (flaps 160, 161) and second pair of flaps (flaps 170, 171).

Each pair of flaps comprises a first flap 160, 170 arranged to pivot from the first position to the second position in a first direction (S1) of rotation and a second flap 161, 171 arranged to pivot from the first position to the second position in a second direction of rotation (S2) opposite to the first direction of rotation (S1).

The closure device of the invention comprises two drive devices 18, 19 (FIGS. 3 and 4) actuated simultaneously by the movement of the moving assembly and each arranged to pivot two flaps simultaneously, associated with a separate spindle. Thus, a first drive device 18 is arranged to simultaneously actuate the first flap 160 of the first pair and the first flap 170 of the second pair and a second drive device 19 is arranged to simultaneously actuate the second flap 161 of the second pair. first pair and second flap 171 of the second pair. The first flap of the first pair and the first flap of the second pair are arranged to pivot simultaneously about the first axis of rotation (a). The second flap of the first pair and the second flap of the second pair are arranged to pivot simultaneously about the second axis of rotation (b), parallel to the first axis of rotation and perpendicular to the translation direction (X).

The description which follows relates indistinctly to the first drive device 18 (FIG. 3) or the second drive device 19 (FIG. 4), each used to pivot two flaps simultaneously from their first position to their second position, and vice versa, and to transform the translational movement of the moving assembly into a rotational movement of the two flaps. This description of a drive device therefore applies to the first two flaps 160, 170 actuated simultaneously or the two second flaps 161, 171 simultaneously actuated. Each drive device is rigidly connected to two flaps and is thus in the form of a single piece having a median plane of symmetry perpendicular to the pivot axis (a) or (b) of its flaps.

Each driving device 18, 19 comprises a cam and cam follower mechanism arranged between the two associated flaps and the moving assembly 12. The driving device 18, 19 comprises an arm having the following characteristics:

a main branch 180, 190 made in a first plane and comprising a first free end carrying a pin 183, 193 performing the cam follower function and intended to cooperate with the moving assembly 12, two secondary branches 181, 182, 191, 192 extending the main branch 180, 190 and forming two U-shaped symmetrical branches, the two secondary branches being made in the same second plane forming an acute angle with said first plane including the main branch, the two secondary branches 181, 182, 191, 192 of the arm each end with a rigid portion connected to the flap at its pivot axis.

The moving assembly 12 (visible in Figure 5) comprises two cams 120, 121, a cam for each drive device. The two cams 120, 121 are made in parallel on the moving assembly 12 and arranged in inverse of each other so as to provide rotations in the two different directions S1, S2.

Each cam is in the form of a groove in which is positioned the pin 183, 193 made at the end of the arm. Each groove comprises two consecutive rectilinear segments, hereinafter referred to as first segment 120a, 121a and second segment 120b, 121b.

The first rectilinear segment 120a, 121a is located in a plane inclined with respect to the plane including an axis parallel to the translation direction (X) of the moving assembly 12. This first segment 120a, 120b is arranged to transform the movement of translation of the moving assembly 12 in pivoting movement of the two flaps (160, 170 for the first device and 161, 171 for the second device). For a pin, when the two pins 183, 193, have each reached the end of this first segment, the flaps are in their second position but the pin is not yet fully extracted from the base (Figure 2B). Thus, it remains difficult to access even if the mechanism remained blocked in this configuration.

The second segment 120b, 121b rectilinear is made along an axis parallel to the translation direction (X) of the moving assembly 12. This second rectilinear segment is arranged to continue extraction pins 120, 121 while the flaps have already been opened through the first segment.

Figure 5 shows the complete architecture of the mechanism including the two cams, the two driving devices and the set of flaps.

The architecture that allows the plugging of the pins has certain advantages, among which:

the maintenance of a flat front face when the shutters are closed, a reliable operation in two stages, comprising in a first time a mutual movement of opening of the flaps and partial translation of the pins outwards, and in a second time, a single movement of extraction of the pins to the stop,

a small footprint related in particular to the shape of the drive devices and the use of the same drive device for the simultaneous actuation of two components.

Claims

1. An electrical outlet socket (1) comprising:

a housing (10) comprising at least a first opening,

at least one movable assembly comprising at least a first electrical contact, arranged to move in a direction of translation (X) said first electrical contact through said first opening between a first position in which the first electrical contact is retracted within the base and a second position in which the first electrical contact is outside the base,

a first closure device of said first opening comprising a first flap (160) arranged to pivot between a first position in which it at least partially closes said first opening when the first electrical contact is retracted inside the base and a second position in which it releases the first opening to let the first electrical contact to the outside of the base,

characterized in that

the base (1) comprises at least one drive system comprising an arm connected on the one hand to the moving assembly by means of a cam and follower mechanism and on the other hand to said first component ( 160) and arranged to transform, by means of said cam follower and follower mechanism, a translation movement of the moving assembly into a rotational movement of the first flap of the first shutter device.

2. Base according to claim 1, characterized in that the first closure device comprises a second flap (161) cooperating with said first flap to close said first opening when the first electrical contact is retracted into the base.

3. Base according to claim 2, characterized in that:

the housing (10) has a second opening,

the movable assembly comprises a second electrical contact arranged to move in said direction of translation (X) between a retracted position inside the base and a position outside the base through said second opening during the displacement of the mobile assembly,

a second closure device of said second opening comprising a first flap (170) and a second flap (171) arranged to pivot between a first position in which they at least partially close said second opening when the second electrical contact is retracted to the interior of the base and a second position in which they release the second opening to let the second electrical contact to the outside of the base.

4. Base according to claim 3, characterized in that the drive system comprises:

a first driving device (18) arranged to simultaneously actuate the first shutter (160) of the first shutter device and the first shutter (170) of the second shutter device,

- A second drive device (19) arranged to simultaneously actuate the second flap (161) of the first shutter device and the second flap (171) of the second shutter device.

5. Base according to claim 4, characterized in that the first drive device (18) comprises an arm composed of a main branch (180) having an end bearing a cam follower, said first follower cam (183) , and two secondary branches (181, 182) extending the main branch and each connected by their free end to the first flap (160) of the first closure device and to the first flap (170) of the second closure device.

6. Base according to claim 5, characterized in that the drive system comprises a cam, said first cam (120), integral with the movable assembly and cooperating with the first drive device (18) via said first follower cam (183).

7. Base according to claim 6, characterized in that the first cam (120) comprises two consecutive rectilinear segments, a first rectilinear segment inclined relative to said translation direction and a second rectilinear segment made in the direction of translation.

8. Base according to claim 4, characterized in that the second drive device (19) comprises an arm consisting of a main branch (190) having an end bearing a cam follower, said second cam follower (193) and two secondary branches (191, 192) extending the main branch and each connected by their free end to the second flap (161) of the first closure device and to the second flap (171) of the second closure device.

9. Base according to claim 8, characterized in that the drive system comprises a cam, said second cam (121), integral with the movable assembly and cooperating with the second drive device (19) via said second follower cam (193).

10. Base according to claim 9, characterized in that the second cam (121) comprises two consecutive rectilinear segments, a first inclined rectilinear segment. relative to said translational direction and a second straight segment made in the direction of translation.

1 1. Base according to claim 4, characterized in that each flap is pivotally mounted about an axis (a, b).

12. Electrical outlet assembly comprising:

a base (1) comprising at least two first electrical contacts connected to a power supply circuit, a first magnetic part (13) integral in movement of the two first electrical contacts, said first magnetic part (13) being arranged to move by magnetic effect between a first position in which the first electrical contacts are retracted inside the base (1) and a second position in which the first electrical contacts are outside the base (1),

a plug (2) intended to be coupled to the base and comprising two second electrical contacts intended to connect electrically to the two first electrical contacts when they are outside the base (1) and a second magnetic portion (23) arranged against the first magnetic part (13) when the plug is coupled to the base to move, by magnetic effect, the first magnetic part (13) to its second position, causing the first electrical contacts to the outside of the base, characterized in that the base is as defined in one of claims 3 to 10.