FR2881277A1 - Anti-pulling accessory for electrical wire, has cylindrical coils with locking and unlocking configurations in order to prohibit and allow withdrawal of wire outside housing, respectively, where housing receives wire - Google Patents

Abstract

The accessory has a pin (23) and a rib (22) to be fixed in a support of an electrical device. A front side has an oblong window (52) for accessing a housing receiving an electrical wire. Two cylindrical coils (14) have locking and unlocking configurations in order to prohibit and allow a withdrawal of the wire outside the housing, respectively. Springs (12), a slide (13) and a frame (15) form a control unit to control the configurations. Independent claims are also included for the following: (A) an anti-pulling reception assembly of a plug having an anti-pulling accessory (B) a method to prevent an untimely pulling of a plug inserted in a socket.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

  The invention generally relates to preventing the inadvertent disconnection of an electric wire.

BACKGROUND

  It is known that there are sockets with a cover admitting a closed position in which it covers the plug engaged in the socket and holds it there.

  OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The invention aims to prevent tearing of a plug engaged in a socket including if this socket has no cover and more generally the inadvertent disconnection of an electric wire.

  For this purpose, the invention proposes an anti-stripping accessory for electric wire, characterized in that it comprises means for fixing in a support in the manner of an electrical appliance, a front face having a window for access to an insertion housing adapted to receive said electrical wire, retaining means having a locking configuration in which they prohibit withdrawal of said wire from said housing and an unlocking configuration in which they allow said withdrawal, and control means of the configuration of said retaining means.

  Thus, for an electrical wire connected to a power plug connected to a power outlet, by inserting a loop of wire into the accessory housing, even if traction is exerted on the wire, the plug remains in the socket. The accessory prevents unintentional tearing of the plug from the socket and the wire from the plug.

  According to implementation characteristics that are particularly simple and convenient both for manufacture and use: said retaining means comprise two rollers or two bars urged toward said front face.

  said retaining means are spontaneously in locking configuration, said retaining means passing from the locking configuration to the unlocking configuration by the actuation of the control means or automatically when inserting a wire into said housing; and / or said accessory comprises a body and a hubcap to which said front face belongs, said hubcap being mounted on said body; and optionally said control means comprise a slider located inside said body, at least one spring located between the bottom of said body and said slider and urging said slider outwardly of said body, and a frame fixed with respect to said body disposed between said hubcap and said slide, said frame having a central opening aligned with said window of the hubcap; and possibly - said control means comprise two control fingers belonging to said slider and projecting out of said trim through two passages located on either side of said window; and optionally - said frame has two opposite side walls each having a V-shaped cutout pointing towards said trim; and optionally - said slider comprises two opposite side walls each adjacent to a respective one of said side walls of said frame, each of these walls having a pair of grooves forming a V pointing towards said hubcap more flared than are said cutouts; and possibly - said retaining means comprise two bars or two rollers biased towards said trim, each end of said bars or rollers being adapted to move in a respective one of said grooves, guided by one of said cutouts, depending on the position of said slider in relation to that framework; and / or said retaining means are rollers, said rollers having a knurled plastic surface or said retaining means are bars, said bars each having a toothed surface, said notched surfaces being opposite the one of the other and oriented transversely to said front face; and optionally - each said notched surface comprises a plurality of notches, triangular section, distributed on said surface; and / or said bars are made of plastic.

  The invention also proposes an anti-tearing receiving assembly for a current plug, characterized in that it comprises a socket for the connection of said current plug to which an electric wire is connected, and an accessory as previously exposed. .

  According to one embodiment, this set comprises a common support in which said accessory and said socket are positioned.

  The invention also proposes a method for preventing the inadvertent tearing of a plug engaged in a socket, comprising the step of obtaining an accessory as previously described and the step of inserting the wire connected to said plug in said accessory.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

  The features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description which follows, given by way of a preferred but nonlimiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an accessory according to the invention; Figure 2 is a view in the assembled state; Figure 3 is a view of an assembly according to the invention, the socket receiving a plug and the accessory receiving the wire associated with the plug; Figure 4 is a sectional view along the plane indicated by IV in Figure 3, when the plug and the wire are not positioned respectively in the socket and in the accessory, the plug and the accessory being represented in a support ; Figure 5 is a view similar to that of Figure 4, the plug and the wire 25 being respectively positioned in the socket and in the accessory; Figure 6 is an elevational view of the slide according to the invention; Figure 7 is a sectional view along the plane indicated by VII-VII in Figure 6; Figure 8 is an elevational view of the side surface seen to the right of the slider of Figure 6; Figure 9 is an elevational view of the frame according to the invention; Figure 10 is a sectional view along the plane indicated by X-X in Figure 9; - Figure 11 is an elevational view of the side surface that is seen on the right of the frame of Figure 9; FIG 12 is a top view of the hubcap of Figure 1; Figure 13 is a top view of the body of the accessory of Figure 1; FIG. 14 is a simplified diagram of the method according to the invention; FIG 15 is a perspective view of the retaining means according to an alternative embodiment of the accessory according to the invention; and FIGS. 16 and 17 are sectional views, similar to those of FIGS. 4 and 5, of an assembly comprising an accessory having the retaining means illustrated in FIG.

  DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 13, the anti-tearing device 10 according to the invention comprises a body 11, two springs 12, a slide 13, two rollers 14, a frame 15 and a hubcap 16.

  The body 11, the slider 13, the frame 15 and the hubcap 16 are made of molded plastic.

  The body 11 is a parallelepiped box having a bottom wall 20 and four side walls 21. The body 11 is open opposite the bottom wall 20.

  The dimensions of the body 11, and more generally those of the accessory 10, are chosen so that the latter can be fixed in a support in the manner of an electrical appliance, this support being able to be a chute, a flush-mounting box or still a box projecting from the wall on which it is desired to fix it.

  The body 11 has on the outer surfaces of the side walls 21 a peripheral rectangular rib 22 intended in particular to serve as a support for the trim 16.

  The two side walls 21 extending along the width of the body 11 each comprise a window in which extends a tab 23 for latching the accessory 10 in its support. The tabs 23 extend mainly in the half-side wall 21 away from the bottom wall 20. The free end of each lug 23 is located at the rib 22 and itself comprises a rib portion protruding outwardly supplementing the rectangle formed by the rib 22.

  The two other side walls 21 each comprise two thin rectangular cutouts 24. These extend from the bottom wall 20 to the vicinity of the rib 22. Each cutout 24 of a side wall 21 is opposite a another cutout 24 of the other wall 21.

  On its inner surface, the bottom wall 20 comprises two pins 25 projecting for receiving the springs 12.

  The accessory 10 also comprises the slider 13. The latter comprises a bottom wall 30 and two opposite side walls 31 extending from the bottom wall 30. The side walls 31 extend in the direction of the width of the bottom wall 30 and have the same shape, substantially rectangular. Each wall 31 has near the bottom wall 30 two grooves 32 straight and thin, here through.

  The bottom of the slider 13 is defined on the side of the bottom wall 30 and, more generally, the bottom of the accessory on the side of the bottom wall 20 of the body 11.

  Each groove 32 has an end located near one of the two opposite bottom corners of the wall 31. The second end of each groove 32 is located away from the bottom wall 30. The two upper ends are closer together. one of the other than the two lower ends so that the pair of grooves 32 form a V pointing upwards.

  The high corners of the two side walls 31 are here rounded and the edge extending between these two corners has a slightly concave rounded shape.

  The free end of each side wall 31 forms a finger 36 intended to project out of the hubcap 16 through two passages of the hubcap 16.

  The bottom wall 30 has a cup profile so that the slider 13 has a U-shaped profile, the two side walls 31 forming the vertical branches of the U. The bottom wall 30 has two opposite edges 37 from which extend the side walls 31 and two other edges 38 each having a rim 33 extending transversely both to the wall 30 and to the walls 31. These flanges 33 extend upwardly from the edges 38 of the walls 30 to at the edges 37. Each rim 33 has two cutouts each on either side of their central zone.

  On its surface opposite the side walls 31, the wall 30 has two series of three feet 34 aligned parallel and halfway from the edges 38. The three legs 34 have heights adapted to make up the difference in height at their root so that the free ends of the feet 34 are aligned and substantially at the center of the bottom wall 30.

  The accessory 10 also includes the frame 15. The latter comprises a lateral wall 40 forming an oblong end frame delimiting an oblong opening 41.

  The wall 40 has an inner side surface 42 and an outer side surface 43. The wall 40 has two side panels 48, 49 extending in the width direction of the frame 15. The wall 40 has two opposite edges. The first edge is plane contrary to the second edge 44. This edge 44 has two parallel portions in the length direction.

  Between these portions, i.e. on both panels 48, 49, the edge 44 has two rounded V-shaped portions pointing toward the other edge forming a V-shaped cutout 47 in each of the panels 48, 49.

  The frame 15 further comprises elements of interlocking in the body 11, molded in one piece with the rest of the frame 15. The wall 40 has on its outer surface elongate elements 45 for adjusting the oblong shape of the wall 40 and its dimensions less than the dimensions and the rectangular shape of the body 11. It also comprises four locking feet 46 which extend under the wall 40 in the extension of certain elements 45. These snap-in feet 46 have one end. free hook intended to snap into the end portions of each cutout 24 of the body 11.

  The accessory 10 also comprises a hubcap 16 intended to be mounted on the body to close it. The hubcap has a rectangular wall 50 and four flanges 51 extending transversely from the edges of the top wall 50. The height of the flanges 51 is equivalent to the height of the side wall portions 21 between the rib 22 and their end. free. On its front face, the upper wall 50 has three openings. These openings correspond to an oblong window 52 and two fine and rectangular passages 53. The window 52 is of the same dimensions as the oblong opening of the frame 15. The passages 53 are located on either side of this window 52, they are each extends parallel to the width of the wall 50. The passages 53 and the window 52 have flanges extending inwardly of the trim 16 transversely to the front face.

  The accessory 10 further comprises rollers 14 and springs 12. The springs 12 are two metal springs with turns.

  The rollers 14 are two cylindrical rollers having at their ends smaller diameter journals. The rollers 14 are here made of rigid plastic whose surface is knurled.

  The assembly of the accessory 10 is now described. The two rollers 14 are force-fitted in the grooves 32.

  The two springs 12 are mounted on the pins 25 at the bottom of the body 11.

  The slide 13 is placed in the body 11, it then rests on the two springs 12. The frame 15 snaps over the slide 13 in the body 11 by snapping the feet 46 into the cutouts 24 of the body 11 .

  Once snapped into the body 11, the frame 15 holds the slide 13 and the springs 12 in the body 11.

  The hubcap 16 covers the frame 15, the fingers 36 protruding out of the hubcap 16 by the passages 53.

  The actuation of the slider 13 is now described.

  By pressing on the two fingers 36, the slider 13 sinks into the body 11 by compressing the springs 12. When the slider is in the recessed position in the body 11, the ends of the rollers 14 are located in the bottom of the grooves 32.

  When releasing the pressure on the fingers 36, the springs urge the slide 13 upwards. The rollers 14 being on board slider 13, these also have an upward movement remaining in the bottom of the grooves 32. During their movement, the rollers 14 come into contact with the V-shaped cutout 47 of the frame 15. When the slide 13 continues to rise away from the bottom wall 20, the rollers 14 are then guided by the V-shaped cuts 47. The distance between the two rollers 14 can only decrease because of the cutouts 47 and the rollers 14 are forced to rise in the grooves 32.

  As seen in Figure 3, the accessory 10 is here positioned next to a socket 60 that will not be described here in detail.

  The receptacle 60 also comprises a body 61, a motor, a hubcap 62 having a well comprising two cavities 63 for the passage of the pins 64 of a current plug 65.

  Referring to Figures 4 and 5 is now described the use of an assembly comprising an accessory 10 and a socket 60. The accessory 10 and the socket 60 are positioned next to each other in a support 66.

  In the absence of son inserted in the accessory, the slide 13 is away from the bottom wall 20, the fingers 36 project out of the hubcap 16 and the rollers 14 are located in the top of the grooves 32. When a plug 65 is plugged into the socket 60, seize the wire 70 which is inserted a loop in the accessory 10. The loop is inserted by force into the inner housing of the accessory 10. This housing is delimited by the frame 15, the slider 13 and the access window 52. During the insertion of the wire 70 into the housing, the wire firstly pushes on the rollers 14, they are forced to move away to leave passing the wire 70. As they move apart, they descend into the grooves 32 which causes the slider 13 to move towards the depressed position, the springs compressing accordingly. When the loop is well inserted in the housing, the central part of the loop of wire 70 is located under the rollers, the two ends of the loop are, they, held by the rollers 14 and the rest of the wire 70 spring of the 10. Due to the presence of the wire 70, the slider remains in a depressed position. The fingers 36 then protrude slightly from the hubcap 16.

  When it is desired to release the wire 70 is pressed simultaneously on the two fingers 36, the slide 13 then takes the most recessed position possible and the rollers 14 descend into the grooves 32 so that the wire 70 is no longer maintained by these rollers 14. The wire 70 can then be removed.

  When the wire 70 is held in the housing of the accessory 10, if inadvertent traction is exerted on the wire 70, it remains held in the housing by the action of the rollers 14 which pinch. The greater the traction, the more the wire undergoes a force which tends to pull it towards the outside of the housing, the more the slider undergoes a force which tends to move it away from the bottom wall 20 of the body 11 and the more the rollers 14 tend to go up in the grooves 32. The rollers 14 then tighten all the more the thread in the housing.

  The knurled surface of the rollers increases the friction between the rollers 14 and the wire 70 to allow better retention of the wire 70 in the accessory 10. The accessory 10 is adapted to receive the electrical son of different diameters.

  Referring to Figure 14, the method is described for preventing inadvertent tearing of a plug engaged in a socket. The accessory 10 is first obtained (step I), the accessory is positioned next to a plug 60. The plug 65 is plugged into the socket 60 and the wire 70 connected to the plug 65 is inserted into the socket. accessory 10 (step II).

  A variant of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 17 will now be described.

  For this variant, the same numerical references as previously increased by the number 100 have been retained for similar elements.

  The retaining means are bars 114 of molded plastic. The bars 114 are identical, only one of them being described in the following.

  The bar 114 has a triangular section and has three main surfaces. The bar 114 has a notched surface 180 which has, projecting, a plurality of notches 181. The notches 181 are distributed on the surface 180, by pair of notches 181 positioned one above the other. The surface 180 here has five pairs of notches 181 which are regularly aligned on the surface 180, in its length.

  The notches 181 are identical and have a triangular section. They have a first surface that extends obliquely from the surface 180 to an edge 182. And they have a second surface that extends transversely to the surface 180, from this surface 180 to the edge 182 All the notches 181 are oriented in the same way with respect to the surface 180 The bar 114 has a surface transverse to the notched surface 180 and an oblique surface 183.

  At each end of the bar 114, it has a plate 184 which extends transversely to the main direction of the bar 114. The plate 184 slightly protrudes from the side of the surface 180. This plate 184 carries a parallelepiped block adapted to be inserted in a groove (not visible in Figures 16, 17) similar to a groove 32 of the slider 113.

  The frame 115 has here on the lateral surface 143 of the wall 140 two lugs 167 in tip. Each lug 167 is located halfway between two locking feet 146 and extends in the same direction as these feet 146.

  The lugs 167 being pointed, the inner surface of the lugs 167 form a ramp for the bars 114 cooperating with the oblique surface 183 of the bars 114 (Figures 16 and 17).

  When the bars 114 are in position in the slider 113, the toothed surfaces 180 are parallel and opposite one another. The two bars 114 form a jaw for locking a wire 170 in the depressed position of the slide 113.

  When a wire 170 is inserted into the housing of the accessory 110, the wire first contacts the first surface of the notches 181 located on the side of the hubcap 116. This first surface forms a ramp which facilitates insertion.

  Continuing this insertion, the wire 170 passes these notches 181 and comes into contact with the first surface of the notches 181 situated on the side of the bottom wall 130.

  When the loop of wire 170 is well inserted in the housing, the central part of the wire loop 170 is located under the bars 114, the two ends of the loop are, they, maintained by the bars 114 and the rest of the wire 170 spring of the accessory 110.

  When the wire 170 is held in the housing of the accessory 110, if inadvertent traction is exerted on the wire 170, it remains held in the housing by the action of the bars 114 which pinch. The greater the traction, the more the wire 170 experiences a force which tends to pull it outwardly from the housing, the more the slider 113 experiences a force which tends to move it away from the bottom wall 120 of the body 111 and the more the Bars 114 tend to rise in the grooves. The bars 114 then tighten all the more the wire 170 in the housing that the edges 182 come to pinch the wire 170.

  According to another variant of the embodiment, the fingers are located parallel in the direction of the length.

  According to another embodiment, the accessory and the socket are rigidly connected, the bodies of one and the other being made in one piece, the accessory and the socket having a common hubcap.

  According to yet another embodiment, the anti-tearing accessory is used in combination with other electrical equipment receiving a tearable wire such as a low current power plug, a cable outlet, or other.

Claims (16)

  1. Anti-tearing accessory for electric wire, characterized in that it comprises fixing means (22, 23) in a support in the manner of an electrical apparatus, a front face having a window (52) access an insertion housing adapted to receive said electrical wire (70, 170), retaining means (14, 114) having a locking configuration in which they prohibit withdrawal of said wire (70, 170) from said housing and a unlocking configuration in which they allow this removal, and control means (12, 13, 15, 112, 113, 115) of the configuration of said retaining means (14, 114).   2. Accessory according to claim 1, characterized in that said retaining means comprise two rollers (14) or two bars (114) biased towards said front face.   3. Accessory according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said retaining means (14, 114) are spontaneously in locking configuration, said retaining means (14, 114) passing from the locking configuration to the unlocking configuration by actuating the control means (12, 13, 15, 112, 113, 115) or automatically when inserting a wire (70, 170) into said housing.   4. Accessory according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a body (11, 111) and a trim (16, 116) to which said front face, said hubcap (16, 116) being mounted on said body (11, 111).   5. Accessory according to claim 4, characterized in that said control means comprise a slider (13, 113) located inside said body (11, 111), at least one spring (12, 112) located between the bottom (20, 120) of said body (11, 111) and said slider (13, 113) and urging said slider (13, 113) outwardly of said body (11, 111), and a frame (15, 115), fixed relative to said body (11, 111) disposed between said hubcap (16, 116) and said slide (13, 113), this frame (15, 115) having a central opening (41) aligned with said window (52) of the hubcap (16, 116).   6. Accessory according to claim 5, characterized in that said control means (12, 13, 15, 112, 113, 115) comprise two control fingers (36, 136) belonging to said slide (13, 113) and protruding out said hubcap (16, 116) through two passages (53) located on either side of said window (52).   7. Accessory according to claim 6, characterized in that said frame (15, 115) comprises two opposite side walls (48, 49) each having a V-shaped cutout (47) pointing towards said trim (16, 116).   8. Accessory according to claim 7, characterized in that said slider (13, 113) comprises two opposite side walls (31) each adjacent to a respective one of said side walls (48, 49) of said frame (15, 115), each of these walls having a pair of grooves (32) forming a V pointing to said hubcap (16, 116) more flared than are said cutouts (47).   9. Accessory according to claim 8, characterized in that said retaining means comprise two rollers (14) or two bars (114) biased towards said hubcap (16, 116), each end of said rollers (14) or said rods (114). ) being adapted to move in a respective of said grooves (32), guided by one of said cutouts (47), depending on the position of said slider (13, 113) with respect to said frame (15, 115).   10. Accessory according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said retaining means are rollers (14), said rollers having a knurled plastic surface.   11. Accessory according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said retaining means are bars (114), said bars each having a notched surface (180), said toothed surfaces (180) being in contact with each other. to one another and oriented transversely to said front face.   12. Accessory according to claim 11, characterized in that each said toothed surface (180) comprises a plurality of notches (181), triangular section, distributed on said surface (180).   13. Accessory according to any one of claims 11 or 12, characterized in that said bars (114) are made of plastic.   14. Receptacle with anti-pulling for plug current, characterized in that it comprises a socket (60, 160) for the connection of said current plug to which is connected a wire (70, 170) , and an accessory (10, 110) according to any one of claims 1 to 13.   15. Assembly according to the preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises a common support (66, 166) in which are positioned said accessory (10, 110) and said socket (60, 160).   16. A method for preventing inadvertent tearing of a plug engaged in a socket, comprising the step of providing an accessory (10, 110) according to any one of claims 1 to 13 and the step of inserting the wire (70, 170) connected to said plug (65, 165) into said accessory (10, 110).