FR3088146A1 - PLUG - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a socket (1) comprising an insulating base (10) housing: - a cylindrical wall (22) delimiting an insertion well (2) of an electrical plug, - a piston (50) closing off the section of the well, movable in translation relative to said cylindrical wall, between a high position and a low position, - locking means (82) of the piston in its high position which intervene between the piston and the cylindrical wall, - means raising (60) the piston from its low position to its high position, and - connection terminals (40) adapted to receive connection pins of said electrical plug. According to the invention, said means for raising the piston are located exclusively in a front space (1A) delimited laterally by said cylindrical wall, and, at the rear, by a cover (30) which closes, at the front, a rear space (1 B) for mounting the connection terminals.

Description

Technical field to which the invention relates

The present invention relates generally to the field of sockets.

It relates more particularly to a socket outlet comprising an insulating base housing:

- a cylindrical wall laterally delimiting an insertion well of an electrical plug,

- a piston closing the section of this well, movable in translation relative to said cylindrical wall, between a high standby position and a low position for activating the socket,

means for blocking the piston in its high position, which intervene between the piston and the cylindrical wall,

means for raising the piston from its low position to its high position, and,

- electrical connection terminals adapted to receive connection pins of said electrical plug.

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

Already known, in particular from document KR101691718, an outlet of the aforementioned type, in which the means for raising the piston include two springs which bear, on the one hand, on the piston, and, on the other hand, on the bottom of the base. The size of these springs in the bottom of the base requires a special arrangement of the connection terminals in the base and prevents another arrangement of these connection terminals.

Object of the invention

In order to remedy the aforementioned drawback of the state of the art, the present invention provides an outlet in which the space available at the bottom of the base is cleared, on the one hand, to be able to arrange the cells for receiving the connection terminals along an axis oriented at 45 ° with respect to the usual horizontal axis, and, on the other hand, authorize the electrical connection of the connection terminals from two opposite lateral sides of the base.

More particularly, there is proposed according to the invention, a socket of the aforementioned type, in which said means for raising the piston are located exclusively in a front space delimited, on the one hand, laterally by said cylindrical wall, and, on the other hand, at the rear, by a cover which closes, at the front, a rear space of the base in which said electrical connection terminals are mounted.

Thus, the means for raising the piston to the high position are located in the space before the socket, so that the rear space of the base is cleared, on the one hand, to arrange the cells for receiving the terminals of connection along an axis oriented at 45 ° relative to the usual horizontal axis, and, on the other hand, have transverse contact blades for supplying each connection terminal on one side or the other of the base.

Other non-limiting and advantageous characteristics of the socket outlet according to the invention, taken individually or in any technically possible combination, are the following:

the means for raising the piston include a compression spring which extends along an axis of translation of the piston and which has one end which bears against the front face of the cover, and another end which bears against part of the piston ;

- the compression spring extends along the axis of revolution of said cylindrical wall;

- The compression spring has a cross section of diameter strictly less than the diameter of the cross section of the cylindrical wall, and has a rear portion housed in a housing of the cover;

- Said housing is a cylindrical housing, the bottom of which forms a bearing surface of the rear end of the compression spring;

- Said piston has a central rod extending rearward, along the axis of translation of said piston, around which is wound at least part of the compression spring;

- The bottom of said housing is pierced with an opening for passage of part of said central piston rod;

- The compression spring has a cross section of diameter equal to the clearance close to the diameter of the cross section of the cylindrical wall, so that said compression spring runs along the internal face of the cylindrical wall;

- The means for raising the piston include two compression springs which extend on either side of the axis of revolution of the cylindrical wall, and whose respective rear ends are housed in two housings of the cover;

said means for locking the piston in the high position comprise:

. at least two tabs belonging to said piston, and,. at least two notches formed in the internal face of the cylindrical wall, intended to receive said legs, each leg being adapted to pivot around an axis of translation of the piston, between a blocking position in which it bears against a surface of retaining the notch, perpendicular to the direction of translation of the piston, and an unlocking position in which it is released from said notch retaining surface to allow this translation;

- Each notch communicates with a guide groove formed in said cylindrical wall, extending along the axis of translation of the piston, this guide groove being adapted to cooperate with the corresponding tab of the piston to guide the piston in translation between its positions high and low;

- The piston houses a movable shutter between a closed position in which it prohibits access to said connection terminals, and an open position in which it allows this access, said shutter comprising suitable drive means, during its displacement from its closed position to its open position, causing said tabs to rotate from their blocking position to their unlocking position;

- There is provided, separately, a means for returning the shutter to the closed position, and another means for returning the tabs to the locked position.

Detailed description of an example of realization

The description which follows with reference to the appended drawings, given by way of nonlimiting examples, will make it clear what the invention consists of and how it can be carried out.

In the accompanying drawings:

- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view before of a first embodiment of a socket according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cutaway view, in lateral perspective, of the socket outlet in FIG. 1:

- Figure 3 is a schematic sectional view of the outlet of Figure 1;

- Figure 4 is a schematic front perspective view of the socket of the outlet of Figure 1;

- Figure 5 is a schematic exploded perspective view before the base of Figure 4;

- Figure 6 is a schematic rear exploded perspective view of the piston of the socket of Figure 1;

- Figures 7 to 10 are schematic perspective views before the hubcap of the socket outlet of Figure 1, wherein the piston is, respectively, locked in the high position, disengaged from its high position, being d 'damping, and engaged in the guide grooves;

- Figures 11 to 14 are respectively schematic rear perspective views of the hubcap of Figures 7 to 10;

- Figures 15 to 18 are respectively schematic views of a zoom of the zone Z of Figures 11 to 14, comprising the locking means and the energy dissipation means of the piston; and,

- Figure 19 is a cutaway schematic view, in side perspective, of a second embodiment of a socket according to the invention.

By convention, the terms "front" and "rear" will be used relative to the direction of the user's gaze turned towards the socket mounted in the wall or the trunking. Thus, the front of an element will designate the side of this element that faces the user, and the rear will designate the opposite side.

It will also be noted that the identical or similar elements of the different embodiments of the invention shown in the different figures will, as far as possible, be referenced by the same reference signs and will not be described each time.

In Figures 1 to 3 and 19, there are shown two embodiments of a socket 1 according to the invention. This socket 1 has an insertion well 2 adapted to receive an electrical plug for the electrical connection of this electrical plug to an electrical network.

The socket 1 is intended to be mounted in an apparatus support (not shown) itself intended to be positioned either in a recessed electrical box or attached to the surface of any wall, or in a chute. As a variant, this socket could be an extension type socket, or be part of a multi-socket block, without the principle of the invention being modified.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 19, the socket 1 has an insulating base 10, housing the electrical components of said socket, and a cover 20 which materializes, inside the base 10, the well d insertion 2 of socket 1.

The base 10 is made of insulating material, for example by molding a plastic material. It has a generally parallelepiped shape (see Figures 1, 4, 5 and 19). It has a bottom wall 11, from which rises, generally perpendicularly, a side wall 12 having four sides, two to two opposite. The base thus forms a box, open at the front (see Figures 3 to 5).

As Figures 2 to 5 and 19 clearly show, the base 10 receives a cover 30; 90, in insulating material, located at the border between a front part 10A and a rear part 10B of the base 10. The cover 30; 90 thus forms an intermediate bottom of the base 10 (see Figures 2, 3 and 19).

The cover 30; 90 is formed by a generally rectangular plate whose front face is generally flat and extends substantially parallel to the bottom wall 11 of the base 10 (see FIGS. 5 and 19).

In the following description, the invention will be described more precisely with reference to the first embodiment of the socket 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 18. Apart from when differences are explicitly described, it will be considered that the others Embodiments of the outlet are similar to the first embodiment.

The cover 30 includes fixing means intended to cooperate with complementary fixing means of the base. More specifically, to prevent any forward movement of the cover 30, said cover 30 carries, on the one hand, projecting from two opposite lateral sides, anti-tearing teeth 31A folded into a U (see FIG. 5), and, on the other hand, projecting from the two other opposite lateral sides, simple hooking teeth 31B (see FIG. 5), said anti-tearing teeth 31A and simple hooking teeth 31B each having a hooking surface intended to cooperate retained with the complementary attachment surface of a window 13 provided in the side wall 12 of the base 10 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). On the other hand, to prevent any displacement of the cover 30 towards the rear, the cover carries fins 33 projecting from two of its opposite lateral sides (see FIG. 5), and intended to bear on protuberances ( not visible) provided projecting from the internal face of two opposite sides of the side wall 12 of the base 10. To prevent any backward movement of the cover 30, said cover 30 also includes studs 34 extending rearward (see Figure 5) and intended to bear against elements housed in a rear space 1B of the base 10 of the socket 1 (see Figure 3).

Said rear space 1B of the base 10, delimited by the rear part 10B of the base 10, houses the electrical contact elements of the socket outlet 1 (see FIG. 2). This rear space 1B is more precisely closed at the rear by the bottom wall 11 of the base 10, at the front by the cover 30, and laterally by a portion of the side wall 12 of the base 10 (see Figures 2 and 3 ). Three connection terminals 40 are mounted in this rear space 1B of the base 10: a phase terminal, a neutral terminal, and an earth terminal (see FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 5, each of these connection terminals 40 is an automatic terminal provided with two conductive cages 41 at the end, respectively accessible from two lateral sides 12A, 12B opposite the base 10, via a pair of respective openings 15 (visible in Figures 1 and 5), and electrically connected together by a transverse contact blade 42 carrying a receiving socket 43 intended to receive a pin of the electrical plug (phase and neutral terminal), or a ground pin 44 (earth terminal) intended to connect the electrical plug to earth. One of the openings of each pair of openings 15 is intended for the passage of the stripped core of an electric wire coming from the network carrying the current of neutral, phase, or connected to the ground, into the conductive cage 41, l 'Another opening being provided for a possible transplanting of this connection terminal 40. The leaf spring of each conductive cage can be actuated by a pull tab or a stroller 46 (see FIG. 5) allowing the stripped core to be released if necessary.

The receiving cells 43 connected to the contact blades 42 of the neutral and phase terminals are located opposite two passage openings 35 provided in the cover 30, through which the connection pins of the electrical plug can be introduced into said receiving cells (see Figures 2 to 5). The receiving cells 43 of the connection terminals 40 of the socket 1 are here aligned along an axis X oriented at 45 ° relative to the usual horizontal axis H which is the axis generally parallel to the floor of the room in the which the socket 1 is mounted (see figure 4). In other words, the insulating base 10 being usually mounted in a room receiving wall with one of its side walls 12 parallel to the ground, the axis X of alignment of the receiving cells 43 of the terminals connection 40 of the socket 1 is oriented at 45 ° from each side wall 12 of said base 10. The ground pin 44, here of cylindrical shape, is supplied by the contact blade 42 via a conductive foot 46 which carries said pin of earth 44 at a distance from the bottom wall 11 of the base 10 (see FIG. 5). The ground pin 44 extends through the cover 30, via another passage opening 36, inside the front part 10A of the base 10 (see FIG. 4).

The front part 10A of the base 10 is intended, on the one hand, for mounting the socket outlet 1 in the apparatus support, and, on the other hand, for receiving the hubcap 20 from the socket outlet 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for its mounting on the apparatus support, the front part 10A of the base 10 of the socket outlet 1 comprises, on the one hand, a sidewalk 14 projecting towards the outside, near its front edge, the rear face of which is intended to come into abutment against a front face of the apparatus support, and, on the other hand, latching means 16, provided in the side wall 12 of the base 10, intended to hang on the rear of the support (see Figures 1 and 2).

The hubcap 20 is attached to the front part 10A of the base 10 so as to close said base 10 from the front. The hubcap 20 for this purpose comprises hooking means, here in the form of lugs 25 terminated by a hooking tooth 25A (see FIG. 13), intended to be hooked in complementary hooking means of the front part. 10A of the base 10, here windows 17 provided in the side wall 12 of the base 10 (see Figures 1 and 4). To prevent any backward movement of the hubcap 20, a front portion 21 of the hubcap 20 is intended to come into abutment against the front face of the sidewalk 14 of the front portion 10A of the base 10 of the socket outlet 1 (see figure 2).

As shown in Figures 3 and 7 to 14, the hubcap 20 has a cylindrical wall 22, which laterally delimits the insertion well 2 of the socket 1, the front portion 21 which borders laterally, at the front , this cylindrical wall 22, and a piston 50 mounted movably inside the insertion well 2.

The front part 21, which here has a rectangular outline, participates in the decorative finishing of the socket 1. It is in one piece with the cylindrical wall 22. The insertion well 2 of the socket 1 is the space in which the socket of the electrical plug is inserted.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3 and 7 to 10, the piston 50 is movably mounted inside the cylindrical wall 22 of the hubcap 20 so as to close the section of the insertion well 2 which it delimits. This piston 50 forms a movable bottom of the insertion well 2.

The piston 50 is movable in translation relative to said cylindrical wall 22, along the longitudinal central axis of extension of this cylindrical wall 22, here called for convenience axis of revolution R of the cylindrical wall 22 (see figure 3), between two extreme positions: a high standby position, and a low position for activating the socket. The high position, represented in FIGS. 1, 3, 7 and 19, corresponds to the rest position of the hubcap 20, in which the front face 50A of the piston 50 is aesthetically flush with the front face 21A of the front part 21 of the hubcap 20. The low position (not shown) corresponds to the position in which the piston 50 extends at the bottom of the insertion well 2, against the cover 30 forming the intermediate bottom of the base 10.

The piston 50 has, at the front, a piston wall 55, the front face of which forms the front face 50A of the piston 50 (see FIGS. 3 and 6). This piston wall 55 comprises a disc 54 in which there are provided three passage holes 53, and a cylindrical wall 56 laterally bordering said disc 54 towards the rear (see FIGS. 3 and 6). Two of the passage openings 53 of the disc 54 of the piston wall 55 are provided opposite the passage openings 35 of the cover 30 (see FIG. 3) and aligned along the same axis X oriented at 45 ° as the receiving cells 43 of the phase and neutral terminals (see figure 1). The third orifice 53 for passage of the disc 54 of the piston wall 55 is opposite the earth pin of the socket 1 (see FIG. 3).

Under normal conditions of use, the piston 50 is adapted to be pushed backwards, from its high position to its low position, by inserting the pins of the electrical plug into the through holes 53 of the piston wall. 55, which makes it possible to bring the base of the electrical plug into contact with the disc 54 of the piston wall 55 and to exert a pushing force thereon. In the low activation position, the passage openings 53 of the piston wall 55 extend near the passage openings 35 of the cover 30 so that the pins of the electrical plug can penetrate into the receiving cells 43 of the power outlet 1.

The socket 1 also comprises means 60 for raising the piston 50 from its low position to its high position (see FIGS. 2, 3 and 19). These means 60 for raising the piston permanently exert a force tending to return the piston 50 to the high position. Thus, as soon as the pins of the electrical plug are removed from the receiving cells 43 of the electrical outlet 1, and the base of the electrical plug is removed from the insertion well 2, the piston 50 automatically rises to its high position. .

The displacement of the piston 50 forwards, beyond its high position, is prevented by stop lugs 57, here four in number, extending radially outwards from the rear edge of the cylindrical wall 56 of the piston wall 55 (see FIG. 6), and intended to come into abutment against a surface 23 of the cylindrical wall 22 of the hubcap 20, perpendicular to the axis of translation of the piston (see FIG. 3).

Advantageously, the means 60 for raising the piston 50 are situated exclusively in a space before 1A of the socket, delimited, on the one hand, laterally by said cylindrical wall 22, and, on the other hand, at the rear, by the cover 30 which closes the rear space 1B of the base 10 (see Figures 2 and 3).

The front space 1A in which the lifting means 60 of the piston 50 are located is itself located inside the front part 10A of the base 10 of the socket outlet 1 (see FIG. 3).

The means 60 for raising the piston 50 thus disposed in the front space 1A leave the rear space 1B of the base 10 fully available for arranging the connection terminals 40 so that, on the one hand, the receiving cells 43 are aligned along the X axis, oriented at 45 ° relative to the usual horizontal axis H, and, on the other hand, the contact blades 42 extend transversely from one side to the other of the base 10 for connection lateral of said connection terminals 40. In addition, the means 60 for raising the piston 50 do not present any risk of interference with the connection terminals 40 of the socket outlet 1.

The means 60 for raising the piston 50 more specifically comprise at least one compression spring 61; 63 which extends along the axis of translation of the piston 50 (see Figures 2, 3 and 19). This compression spring 61; 63 has a rear end 62; 65 which bears against the front face 30A; 90A of the cover 30; 90, and a front end 64; 67 which bears against a part of the piston 50 (see Figures 3 and 19), so that said compression spring 61; 63 is interposed between the cover 30; 90 and the piston 50 to permanently push the piston 50 back to its high position.

According to the first embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3, the compression spring 61 is unique and extends along the axis of revolution R of said cylindrical wall 22. It has a cross section, in a plane perpendicular to said axis of revolution R, whose diameter here is much smaller than the diameter of the cross section of the cylindrical wall 22. A rear portion of the spring is housed in a housing 37 of the cover 30 which keeps it in place even when it is compressed (see figure 3). More specifically, the cover 30 carries a cylindrical sleeve 38 which extends forward and laterally delimits the cylindrical housing 37 (see FIGS. 2 to 4) receiving the rear portion of the compression spring 61. The rear end 62 of the spring compression 61 then bears against a bearing surface 39 formed by the bottom of the housing 37 (see Figures 3 and 4), so that said compression spring 61 is held in the front space 1A previously defined, whatever or the position of the piston 50.

According to this first embodiment, to keep the compression spring 61 in place and guide it in compression when the piston 50 is pushed towards its low position, a front portion of said compression spring 61 is wound around a central rod 58 of the piston wall 55 (see FIG. 3) extending at the rear of the disc 54 of the piston wall 55, perpendicular to this disc 54, along the axis of revolution R of the cylindrical wall 22 of the hubcap 20 (see Figure 6).

The bottom of the housing 37 delimited by the sleeve 38 is pierced with a passage opening 32 provided to let part of said central rod 58 pass (see FIGS. 3 and 4). When the piston 50 is pushed back to its low position, part of the central rod 58 of the piston wall 55 then extends into the rear space 1B of the base 10, the assembly of the compression spring 61 being wound around of the part of the central rod 58 still located in the front space 1A. Note that the length of the central rod 58 is such that when the piston 50 is in the low position, it sinks into the central part of the rear space 1B without interfering with the electrical contact elements, its free end remaining at above the contact strips 42 which extend against the bottom wall 11 of the base 10 (see FIG. 3).

The disc 54 also carries, at the rear, two studs 52 in an arc surrounding the rod and delimiting a housing in which the front portion of the compression spring 61 is held (see FIG. 6).

One end of said compression spring 61 is thus held (see FIG. 3) between the retaining surface 39 of the bottom of the housing 37 and the sleeve 38, while the other end is held between the rear face of the disc 54 of the wall of piston 55 and the two studs 52 in a circular arc extending at the rear of said disc 54. When the piston 50 is in the low position, the two studs 52 in a circular arc extend in the extension of the sleeve 38 and form with the latter a housing in which the compression spring 61, in the compressed state, is fully maintained.

According to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 19, the compression spring 63 is also unique and extends along the axis of revolution R of said cylindrical wall 22. It has a cross section, in a plane perpendicular to said axis of revolution R, the diameter of which is practically equal, apart from the clearance, to the internal diameter of said cylindrical wall 22, so that said compression spring 63 is a peripheral spring which runs along the internal face 22A of the cylindrical wall 22.

Due to its large section, the compression spring 63 according to this second embodiment is close enough to the cylindrical wall 22 so as not to risk moving or off-axis when it is compressed. This configuration makes it possible to have great stability during the displacement of the piston 50. It is then not necessary to provide special arrangements making it possible to guide or hold in place the compression spring when it is compressed. In particular, the cover 90 of the socket 1 according to the second embodiment is identical in all respects to the cover 30 according to the first embodiment except that it does not have a central housing intended to hold the spring compression in position during compression. Similarly, in this second embodiment, the piston wall does not have a central rod intended to hold the spring in place during its compression.

According to an embodiment not shown, intermediate between the first embodiment and the aforementioned second embodiment, it is also conceivable to provide a single central spring, of intermediate section, that is to say whose diameter is strictly less than that of the cross section of the cylindrical wall, without necessarily being much less than the latter. Such a spring is for example arranged around the openings of the cover allowing the passage of the ground pin or the access to the phase and neutral terminals, while being sufficiently distant from the cylindrical wall so as not to be able to bear against this last and use it as a guide when compressing. It is then necessary to provide on the cover a housing receiving the rear end of this spring, for example a cylindrical groove in which the rear end of the spring is housed, to prevent any displacement of the spring during its compression. A similar groove could be provided on the rear face of the piston wall to hold the front end of the spring in place during its compression.

According to another embodiment of the invention, not shown, the means for raising the piston include two compression springs which extend on either side of the axis of revolution of the cylindrical wall, and whose ends respective rear are housed in two hood housings. This third embodiment is very similar to the first embodiment, except that in place of a single central compression spring, two compression springs are provided, arranged symmetrically with respect to the axis of revolution of the cylindrical wall, so that said piston is not unbalanced during its displacement towards its low position. The arrangements for guiding the springs in compression and preventing them from being offset are then similar to those provided in the first embodiment of the socket outlet (housing on the cover and rod at the rear of the wall piston), except that these arrangements are split so that such arrangements are provided for each of the two compression springs.

Whatever the embodiment envisaged, to reinforce the safety of the user, there is provided, on the one hand, a shutter 71 housed in the piston 50 and intended to close the passage orifices 53 of the piston wall 55 , and, on the other hand, locking means 82, 84 of the piston 50 in the high position (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

The piston 50 comprises in particular a cassette 70 housing the shutter 71, attached to the rear of the disc 54 of the piston wall 55 so as to be integral in translation with said piston wall 55 (see Figure 6).

This cassette 70 is in the form of a box open at the front, comprising a bottom wall 77 from which rises a side wall 79, bordered at the front, by a sidewalk 79A of circular outline ( see figure 6). The side edge of the sidewalk 79A of the cassette 70 has four protrusions 72A projecting outwardly and intended to cooperate in force with the inner face of the cylindrical wall 56 of the piston wall 55 (see Figure 6). Four legs 72B extend rearwards from the side edge of said sidewalk 79A and are intended to rest on complementary protrusions 59 provided on the internal face of the cylindrical wall 56 of the piston wall 55 to avoid separation towards the 'rear of the cassette 70 and the piston wall 55 (see Figure 6).

The bottom wall 77 of the cassette 70 is pierced with two circular openings 73B (see FIG. 6) arranged opposite, on the one hand, passage openings 35 of the cover 30, and, on the other hand, passage orifices 53 of the disc 54 of the piston wall 55 (see FIG. 3). For the correct positioning of the cassette 70 at the rear of the disc 54 of the piston wall 55, which guarantees that the centers of the passage orifices 53 of the disc 54, of the circular openings 73B of the cassette 70 and of the passage openings 35 of the cover 30 are aligned, there are also provided two coding walls 51, in the shape of a semicircle extending at the rear of the disc 54 of the piston wall 55 and intended to cooperate with semicircular openings 73A of cassette 70 (see Figure 6).

The bottom wall 77 of the cassette 70 is also pierced with a central opening 73C allowing the passage of the lifting means 60 of the piston, in particular of the central rod 58 of the disc 54 and of the compression spring 61 (see FIG. 3).

The shutter 71 is mounted movably in the cassette 70, between a closed position (see FIGS. 3 and 7) in which it prevents access to the phase and neutral terminals, by interposing between the passage orifices 53 of the disc 54 of the piston wall 55 and the circular openings 73B of the cassette 70 which communicate with the passage openings 35 of the cover 30, and an open position (not shown) in which it allows this access. The shutter 71 thus protects the user from any electrical contact with the conductive elements housed in the rear part 10B of the base 10 of the socket outlet 1.

The shutter 71 is here in the form of a propeller (see FIGS. 3 and 6) pivotally mounted in the cassette 70 of the piston 50, the blades of which each have, on the front face, an inclined face of inverted slope. When the connection pins of the electrical plug are inserted into the through holes 53 of the disc 54 of the piston wall 55, said connection pins slide against the inclined faces of the shutter 71 to force it to pivot in the position of opening. The shutter 71 has a return means, here in the form of a spring blade 74 (see FIG. 6), intended to automatically return the shutter 71 to the closed position. This leaf spring 74 permanently exerts a pushing force tending to push the shutter 71 in the closed position against two stop pads 75 extending behind the disc 54 of the piston wall 55.

The locking means 82, 84 of the piston 50 in the high position intervene between the piston 50 and the cylindrical wall 22 of the hubcap 20 (see FIG. 3, 11 and 15). They are therefore located in the front part 10A of the base 10 of the socket 1. Said locking means 82, 84 of the piston 50 in the high position comprise, on the one hand, at least two tabs 82 belonging to said piston 50, and , on the other hand, at least two notches 84 formed in the internal face of the cylindrical wall 22, intended to receive said tabs 82.

The piston 50 comprises in particular a locking wheel 80, attached to the rear of the cassette 70 of the piston 50 and carrying four tabs 82 of generally parallelepiped shape, which extend radially outwards from the locking wheel 80 in being two to two diametrically opposite (see Figure 6).

There are provided in correspondence four notches 84, formed in the internal face of the cylindrical wall 22 (see FIGS. 11 to 13). These notches 84, of complementary shape to the section of the legs 82 of the locking wheel, that is to say here of rectangular shape, extend generally orthogonally to the direction of translation of the piston (see FIGS. 11 and 15). Each notch 84 of the cylindrical wall forms a retaining surface 83 perpendicular to the direction of translation of the piston, against which the tab 82 of the locking wheel 80 is engaged, engaged in said notch 84 to block the translation of the piston 50 from its high position towards its low position (see figure 15).

The locking wheel 80 is adapted to pivot around the axis of revolution R of the cylindrical wall 22 of the hubcap 20 (see FIG. 3), between a locking position in which each tab 82 is engaged in a notch 84 and bears against the retaining surface 83 of this notch 84 (see FIG. 15), and an unlocking position in which each tab 82 is released from said retaining surface 83 of the notch 84 to allow translation of the piston 50 between its high and low positions (see figure 18).

To do this, the locking wheel 80 is mounted on the cassette 70 so as to be integral in translation with said cassette 70, while being free in pivoting relative to said cassette 70 which is, in turn, fixedly mounted in pivoting on the piston wall 55.

The cassette 70 carries for this purpose, at the rear of its sidewalk 79A, two hooking lugs 76 (see FIG. 6) extending diametrically back-to-back, perpendicular to said sidewalk 79A of the cassette 70, each terminated by a hooking tooth 76A intended to snap into place behind a retaining surface 86 of the locking wheel 80 (see FIGS. 3 and 6). Each hooking tooth 76A is sufficiently short relative to the length of the retaining surface 86 to be able to move along this retaining surface 86 and allow the pivoting of the locking wheel 80. For the correct positioning of the wheel blocking 80 at the rear of the cassette 70, there are also provided two walls 81A in an arc extending around the rear of the bottom wall 77 of the cassette 70, bordering on either side the 'central opening 73C of the cassette, and intended to cooperate with notches 81B in corresponding arc of the locking wheel 80 (see Figure 6).

Each notch 84 of the cylindrical wall 22 of the hubcap 20 communicates with a guide groove 26 formed in said cylindrical wall 22, extending along the axis of translation of the piston (see Figures 11 to 14). Each guide groove 26 is intended to receive one of the lugs 82 of the locking wheel 80 when the latter reaches its unlocking position (see FIGS. 14 and 18). The cooperation of each tab 82 of the locking wheel 80 with the corresponding guide groove 26 guides the piston 50 in translation between its high and low positions.

Under normal conditions of use of the socket 1, the locking wheel 80 is pivotally driven by the pivoting of the shutter 71 from its closed position to its open position, following the insertion of the pins. the electrical plug in the through holes 53 of the piston wall 55. The shutter 71 comprises for this purpose (see FIG. 6) suitable drive means 78, during its movement from its closed position to its position d opening, to cause the locking wheel 80 to rotate from its locking position to its unlocking position. The shutter 71 here carries two drive tabs 78 extending parallel to the direction of translation of the piston, facing one another, on either side of the central rod 58 of the disc 54 of the piston wall 55, between the studs 52 in an arc of a circle carried by said disc 54 (see FIG. 6). These drive tabs 78 pass through the central opening 73C of the cassette 70 (see FIG. 3) and are intended to come to bear against a driving surface 88 of the locking wheel 80 (see FIG. 6), during the pivoting of the shutter 71 from its locking position to its unlocking position. In doing so, the tabs 82 of the locking wheel 80 disengage from the notches 84 of the cylindrical wall 22 so that the piston 50 is freely translatable to its low position.

Advantageously, said blocking means 82, 84 of the piston 50 in the high position are also automatically disengageable in the event of an impact occurring on a front face 50A of the piston 50, and are combined with means for dissipating energy 27, dissipating the energy acquired by the piston 50 during this impact in order to limit the recoil of the piston 50 in said insertion well 2 after this impact.

Thus, the socket 1 remains intact and is not damaged when it receives a shock on the front face 50A of its piston 50.

To do this, the dimension of the retaining surface 83 of the notch 84 provided in the cylindrical wall 22 of the hubcap 20 is such that the tab 82 of the locking wheel 80 disengages from said notch 84 when the impact occurs. on the front face 50A of the piston 50 is of the IK7 type (see FIG. 15).

An IK7 type shock is defined by the standard “NF EN 62262” and corresponds to an impact force associated with the fall of a mass of 0.5 kg from a height of 400mm, ie energy transmitted to the piston d 'about 2 Joules.

The dimension of the retaining surface 83 of the notch 84 considered is the length L1 of the retaining surface 83 in a direction tangent to said cylindrical wall 22, in a cross section of said insertion well 2 (see FIG. 15).

Each tab 82 of the locking wheel 80 also has a rounded angle 85 (see FIGS. 15 to 18). This rounded angle 85 is intended to slide against said retaining surface 83 of the notch 84 to facilitate the disengagement of said tab 82 from the notch 84, when the shock occurring on the front face 50A of the piston 50 is of the IK7 type.

As shown in FIG. 15, the length L2 of the rounded angle 85 of each tab 82 of the locking wheel 80 is here equal to the length L1 of the corresponding retaining surface 83. In addition, each tab 82 of the locking wheel 80 of the piston 50 is made of rigid plastic material, undeformable by an impact of IK7 type occurring on the front face 50A of the piston 50. Thus, the tab 82 is automatically disengageable, it that is, it comes out of the notch 84 for an IK7 type shock, without breaking.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 15, the communication between each notch 84 and the corresponding guide groove 26 is carried out by means of a ramp 27, that is to say of an inclined surface, forming a contact surface against which the tab 82 of the locking wheel 80 slides to be braked before it engages in said guide groove 26.

The cooperation of the tab 82 of the locking wheel 80 against the ramp 27 dissipates the energy acquired by the piston and prevents the latter from reaching the guide groove 26 with too high a speed. Thus, either the piston is sufficiently braked to stop before reaching its low position, or it arrives in the low position with a speed low enough not to damage the socket outlet 1, in particular the cover 30 and the electrical contact elements of the socket outlet 1.

The contact surface formed by the ramp 27 is for example chosen to be concave, facing the front of the socket 1 (see FIG. 15). This shape makes it possible to further slow down the piston 50 before the lugs 82 of the locking wheel 80 engage in the guide grooves 26.

The length of the contact surface formed by the ramp 27 is such that, for an IK7 type impact, the speed of movement of the piston 50 in the guide groove 26 is strictly less than a threshold speed at which the piston 50 deteriorates the power outlet 1.

As shown in Figure 17, the junction between the notch 84 and the ramp 27 is smooth, without stops or breaks. In other words, the meeting line between the notch 84 and the ramp 27 is rounded and not angular. This configuration facilitates automatic disengagement of the locking means, the rounded tab 82 of the locking wheel 80 sliding more easily out of the notch 84 of the cylindrical wall 22.

Thus, when the piston 50 is locked in the high position by the locking wheel 80 pivoted in the locking position (see FIGS. 7, 11 and 15), and it receives an IK7 type shock on the front face 50A, the tabs 82 of the locking wheel 80 disengage from each notch 84 of the cylindrical wall 22 of the hubcap 20 so that the locking wheel 80 is automatically disengaged. The piston 50 is then slightly pressed into the well of the socket 1 and the rounded edge 85 of each tab 82 of the locking wheel 80 comes into contact with the corresponding ramp 27 of the cylindrical wall 22 of the hubcap 20 ( Figures 8, 12 and 16). The energy acquired during the shock, transmitted to the piston 50 in the form of kinetic energy, pushes the piston 50 further into the insertion well 2. In doing so, the rounded edge 85 of the tabs 82 of the locking wheel 80 slide the along the corresponding ramps 27 (Figures 9, 13 and 17), which slows the piston 50 in its descent. The tabs 82 of the locking wheel 80 then reach the guide grooves 26 and the piston 50 translates to its low position at a reasonable speed (Figures 10, 14 and 18).

Advantageously, during this movement of the piston 50 linked to the shock received on the front face, the shutter 71 remains in the closed position. In other words, the pivoting of the locking wheel 80 from its locking position to its unlocking position, caused by the impact received on the front face 50A, does not cause the pivoting of the shutter 71 from its closed position towards its open position.

Furthermore, as soon as the speed of the piston 50 is zero, the compression spring 61 of the lifting means 60 of the piston 50 pushes it back into the high position.

There is also provided a return means 89 of the locking wheel 80 in the locking position, separate from the return means 74 of the shutter 71 in the closed position already described (see Figure 6). The return means 89 of the locking wheel 80 in the locking position is here formed by a compression spring 89 interposed between a bearing surface 89A of the cassette 70 and a bearing surface 89B of the locking wheel 80 ( see figure 6). More precisely, this compression spring 89 is housed in a housing delimited, at the front, by the sidewalk 79A of the cassette 70, at the rear, by the locking wheel 80, and, laterally, on the one hand, by a wall 87 extending at the rear of the sidewalk 79A of the cassette 70 and the curved end of which forms the bearing surface 89A of the cassette, and on the other hand, by the cylindrical wall 56 of the wall of piston 55, and the bearing surface 89B of the locking wheel 80.

When the piston 50 rises to its high position, and the lugs 82 of the locking wheel 80 meet the ramps 27 of the cylindrical wall 22 of the hubcap 20, this compression spring 89 pushes the locking wheel 80 towards its position blocking.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described and shown.

In particular, it would be possible for the ramp connecting the notch and the guide groove to have a flat surface instead of a concave surface. The surface of this ramp would then be coated with a non-slip coating to brake the piston before it arrives in the guide groove.

It is also possible to completely omit the ramp putting each guide groove in communication with the corresponding notch, and to provide the walls of the guide groove with a non-slip coating so that the tab engaged in the guide groove rubs against it to brake the piston during its translation.

It would also be possible for the shutter to be mounted in the movable cassette in translation along an axis orthogonal both to the translation axis of the piston and to the axis oriented at 45 ° along which the receiving cells are aligned. A mechanical system making it possible to transform a translational movement into a rotational movement would then be used between the shutter and the locking wheel so that the movement of the shutter from its closed position to its open position results, under conditions normal use, unlocking the locking wheel.

Claims (13)

1. Power socket (1) comprising an insulating base (10) housing: - a cylindrical wall (22) laterally delimiting an insertion well (2) of an electrical plug, - A piston (50) closing the section of this insertion well (2), movable in translation relative to said cylindrical wall (22), between a high standby position and a low position for activating the outlet current (1), - locking means (82, 84) of the piston (50) in its high position which intervene between the piston (50) and the cylindrical wall (22), means for raising the piston (50) from its low position to its high position, and, - electrical connection terminals (40) adapted to receive connection pins of said electrical plug, characterized in that said lifting means (60) of the piston are located exclusively in a front space (1A) delimited, on the one hand , laterally by said cylindrical wall (22), and, on the other hand, at the rear, by a cover (30; 90) which closes, at the front, a rear space (1B) of the base (10) in which are mounted said connection terminals (40). 2. socket (1) according to claim 1, in which the means for raising (60) the piston (50) comprise at least one compression spring (61; 63) which extends along an axis of translation of the piston (50) and which has one end (62; 65) which bears against the front face (30A; 90A) of the cover (30; 90), and another end (64; 67) which bears against part of the piston (50). 3. socket (1) according to claim 2, wherein the compression spring (61; 63) extends along the axis of revolution (R) of said cylindrical wall (22). 4. socket (1) according to claim 3, wherein the compression spring (61) has a cross section of diameter strictly less than the diameter of the cross section of the cylindrical wall (22), and has a rear portion ( 83) housed in a housing (37) of the cover (30). 5. Power outlet (1) according to claim 4, wherein said housing (37) is a cylindrical housing whose bottom forms a bearing surface (39) of the rear end (62) of the compression spring (61 ). 6. socket (1) according to claim 5, wherein said piston (50) comprises a central rod (58) extending rearward, along the axis of translation of said piston (50), around which is wound at least a part of the compression spring (61). 7. Socket according to claim 6, in which the bottom of said housing (37) is pierced with a passage opening (32) of a part of said central rod (58) of the piston (50). 8. socket (1) according to claim 3, wherein the compression spring (63) has a cross section of diameter equal to the clearance near the diameter of the cross section of the cylindrical wall (22), so that said compression spring (63) runs along the internal face (22A) of the cylindrical wall (22). 9. socket according to claim 2, in which the means for raising the piston comprise two compression springs which extend on either side of the axis of revolution of the cylindrical wall, and whose respective rear ends are housed in two hood housings. 10. Power socket (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9, in which said blocking means (82, 84) of the piston (50) in the high position comprise: - at least two tabs (82) belonging to said piston (50), and, - At least two notches (84) formed in the internal face of the cylindrical wall (22), intended to receive said lugs (82), each lug (82) being adapted to pivot around an axis of translation of the piston (50 ), between a locking position in which it bears against a retaining surface (83) of the notch (84), perpendicular to the direction of translation of the piston (50), and an unlocking position in which it is released of said retaining surface (83) of the notch (84) to allow this translation. 11. socket (1) according to claim 10, in which each notch (84) communicates with a guide groove (26) formed in said cylindrical wall (22), extending along the axis of translation of the piston ( 50), this guide groove (26) being adapted to cooperate with the corresponding tab (82) of the piston (50) to guide the piston (50) in translation between its high and low positions. 12. Power outlet (1) according to one of claims 10 and 11, in which the piston (50) houses a shutter (71) movable between a closed position in which it prohibits access to said connection terminals (40 ), and 5 an open position in which it authorizes this access, said shutter (71) comprising drive means (78) adapted, during its displacement from its closed position to its open position, to be driven in rotation said tabs (82) from their locking position to their unlocking position. 10 13. socket (1) according to claim 12, wherein there is provided, separately, a return means (74) of the shutter (71) in the closed position, and another return means (89 ) tabs (82) in the locking position.