GB2450541A

GB2450541A - Wall socket for different plugs, which may provide different voltages

Info

Publication number: GB2450541A
Application number: GB0712662A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Daniel Gould
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-06-28
Filing date: 2007-06-28
Publication date: 2008-12-31
Also published as: WO2009001116A3; WO2009001116A2; GB0712662D0

Abstract

An electrical socket is provided which includes a faceplate with a pin receiving means for receiving pins of an electric plug. The pin receiving means is shaped to receive a plurality of different types of electric plug. Optionally, a voltage converter is provided that allows the electrical socket to operate at the correct voltage depending on the plug that is received, by detecting the type of plug and the input voltage and providing an appropriate output voltage. A mechanism may be provided for an earthing connection to be made when an earthed electrical plug is received by the pin receiving means, for example having a portion 43 which can collapse inwardly to allow connection to a clip on the side of the plug.

Description

I

Electrical Socket The present invention relates to electrical sockets and particularly to a socket which is capable of receiving an electrical plug of any standard pin configuration.

Electrical sockets are well known and the configuration of recesses in a socket faceplate are such that an electrical plug with a certain pin configuration can be received by the socket.

For example electrical sockets in the UK have a three pin configuration and receive a three pin electrical plug. The socket has three recesses each with a rectangular cross section which matches the cross section of the pins of the electrical plug.

Another type of plug is the two pin plug used in many countries and most of continental Europe. The electrical socket for this type of plug is different to the UK as the pins of the plug have a different shape which are not suited to being inserted into a UK electrical socket. Therefore it is apparent that the electrical socket is chosen to be compatible with the particular plug type that is used in a particular country.

Such conventional electrical sockets are restricted to the particular type of plug which is commonly used in the particular country in which the socket is installed.

The present invention provides an electrical socket used as a female part of an electrical connection for receiving an electrical plug forming a male part of the electrical connection, the socket comprising a faceplate with a first pin receiving means, the pin receiving means being adapted to receive different types of electrical plug configurations. The first pin receiving means comprises a plurality of recesses positioned such that a number of different plug configurations can be received by the first pin receiving means.

The first pin receiving means forms an integral part of the faceplate thus no other separate adapters are required in order for any different type of electrical plug to be compatible with the faceplate. It is also possible for the first pin receiving means to be in the form of an insert which can be manufactured separately to the electrical socket and received by the socket. This allows the insert to be moulded separately to the faceplate and received at a later stage of the manufacture process and makes the overall socket easier to manufacture.

The term "faceplate" may also be known as a "wailplate" or any other terminology to indicate that it is provided on a wall.

In order that the present invention be more readily understood, embodiments thereof will be provided with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows a front of a faceplate according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the back of the faceplate of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a front of a faceplate according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4 shows a front of a faceplate according to a third embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 5 shows the front of a faceplate according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention is in the form of an electrical socket which is capable of receiving any type of electrical plug. The socket is in the form of a faceplate which is attached to a socket mounting box which is positioned in the wall of a building or to the wall itself depending on the type of socket being utilised.

With reference to Fig. 1, an electrical socket faceplate 10 comprises a panel 11 made from plastics material as used for conventional sockets but with the normal socket portion which receives an electrical plug being replaced by a modified socket portion 12 shaped such that any type of plug configuration can be received therein. It will be appreciated that the panel is not limited to plastics material and may be formed from other materials such as brass, stainless steel or any other suitable material.

The socket portion 12 comprises a first recess 13 for receiving one pin of an electrical plug (not shown) and a second recess 14 for receiving a second pin of the plug. The first recess 13 is shaped such that any type of electrical plug contacts will fit securely therein. This includes contacts in the form of pins with a rectangular or circular cross section or contacts that are shaped as blades. The shape of the second recess 14 is symmetrical about a centre line between the two recesses 13,14 and thus one recess is a mirror image of the other.

A third recess 15 is provided that can receive a corresponding third pin of any electrical plug with a three pin configuration. In this case the third pin may be a grounding or earthing pin and is not found in all available electrical plugs. Further such a pin may be a non- conductive pin where such functionality is not required.

The shape of the third recess 15 is chosen to be compatible will all types of electrical plugs with different cross-sections. For example, a UK plug with a grounding pin is accommodated by the upper portion 1 5a of the third recess 15 which has a rectangular cross section substantially matching that of the grounding pin on a UK electrical plug. In addition the lower portion 1 5b of the third recess has a circular cross section substantially matching the grounding pin of an Italian 3-pin electrical plug. A groove 1 Sc between these extremities is shaped so that other shaped pins from different types of plugs can be received therein.

The faceplate 10 also comprises a conventional switch 16 which is used to enable or disable operation of the socket. Furthermore, a plurality of holes 17 are provided to receive screws 18 to secure the faceplate 10 to a wall. Any manner of securing the faceplate to the wall can be used. It is also possible for no screws to be provided and the plate 11 to be a clip-on feature.

Fig. I shows the front of the faceplate 10 but the back of the faceplate 10 comprises conventional components which mechanically and electrically connect with the electrical contacts of the electrical plug received in the socket portion 12. These are not shown in the figure but are known to the skilled person.

Fig 2 shows a schematic diagram of the main elements in the back of the faceplate according to another embodiment of the present invention. The faceplate includes a converter arrangement 19 that is arranged to convert the voltage of the supply depending on the type of plug which is received by the socket portion 12.

The converter arrangement 19 comprises a detector 20 for detecting the type of plug that is inserted into the socket portion 12 and a transformer 21 for transforming the voltage and frequency to be suited to the type of plug that is received.

The detector 20 is formed of a mechanism which detects the shape of the plug pins received by the faceplate 10 and determining which type of plug is being inserted by generating a signal indicative of the shape of the plug and comparing this signal with a number of known plug device signals. It will be appreciated that the detector 20 could be set to detect only a particular type of plug through a mechanical detection so that when the particular type of plug is inserted, this will activate the detector 20 and cause further action to be taken.

The transformer 21 will transform the voltage on the basis of the detection carried out by the detector 20 and therefore the correct voltage will be provided to the plug. This enhances the safety of the faceplate 10 and avoids damage to devices connected to the faceplate 10.

This is convenient for countries that have different voltages and frequencies and allows the faceplate 10 to be safely used for either type of plug and the transformer 21 can be preset to either step up or step down the voltage depending on which country the faceplate 10 is to be used in.

For example in the UK and Europe, the mains power is at a voltage of 220-240V and frequency is 50Hz. The faceplate 10 can be used in the UK and receive a US plug (not shown) which typically has two flat parallel blades and a round grounding pin. The US plug is received by the faceplate 10 and the detector 20 detects that a US plug has been inserted.

This causes the transformer 21 to be activated and steps down the voltage output from the socket to lO0-127V which is the mains power in the US.

On the other hand, the transformer 21 can be set to only step up the voltage to that of the UK and Europe when the faceplate.10 is for use in the US.

In a further modification, as shown in Fig 2, the converter arrangement 19 includes an input voltage detector 22 that detects the voltage that is input into the socket i.e. the mains power of the country in which the faceplate 10 is being used. This is used to control the transformer to be able to change the voltage accordingly depending on the plug inserted into the socket without the need for different transformer types required for different countries. Instead, the transformer would be set depending on the mains power detected by the voltage detector 22 and only need to step up or step down the voltage and do nothing. For example if the faceplate 10 were used in the UK, the voltage detector would detect a voltage of 220-240V.

This would cause the transformer 21 to be set to only need to step down the voltage or be idle as the only plugs to be received would be those that require a lower voltage (eg. US plugs) or those that work on the main voltage (eg. UK plugs).

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment where like numerals represent features in common with the previous embodiment. In this embodiment although the functionality of the faceplate is the same in that it can receive a plug of any pin configuration, it can be manufactured differently. A faceplate 30 is formed of a panel 311 similar to that in Fig. 1. However, a socket portion 32 is provided (with the same functionality as the socket portion 12) in the form of an insert which has been inserted into a hole in the faceplate at the manufacturing stage instead of being manufactured as one single piece as in the previous embodiment. The socket portion 32 and panel 31 can therefore be manufactured separately before being combined to form the overall faceplate 30.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of another embodiment where like numerals represent features in common with the previous embodiments. A faceplate 40 comprises a panel 41 similar to Figs. I and 3 and a socket portion 42. The socket portion 42 is shaped in a similar manner to Figs. 1 and 3 in order to receive an electrical plug of any pin configuration. In addition collapsible portion 43 is provided around the socket portion 42 which has the function of collapsing inwards when a two pin plug with earthing is received. Such a plug is typically a two pin European plug known under the standard CEE 7/7 which has earthing clips on the side of its main body and a female earthing recess rather than earthing pins projecting from a surface of the plug (as in a standard UK plug).

The collapsible portion 43 is arranged to detect when such a plug is received and move inwards (into the plane of the paper in Fig. 4) and away from the surface of the faceplate 40 in order to expose a channel (not shown) shaped to receive the main body of the plug containing the earthing clips. The channel would contain corresponding electrical clips to contact the earthing clips of the plug. This provides a safe earthing capability for compatible plugs which have no separate earthing pin to be received in the socket portion 42.

The collapsible portion 43 is of a shape similar to the cross section of the main body of the earthed two pin plug such that the main body of the two pin plug is capable of fitting within the channel of the collapsible portion 43 and securely contacting the earthing clips of the channel.

For a CEE 7/7 plug to fit in such a manner, the channel would have a circular cross section matching that of the plug. Earthing clips (not shown) would be provided on the top andlor bottom of the channel of the collapsible portion 43 such that the top earthing clip could use the earthing capability of the earthing recess 15. One of the earthing clips of the channel could be dispensed with but this results in the CEE 7/7 plug having to be orientated correctly when inserted into recesses 13, 14 rather than allowing the live and neutral electrical connections to be reversed which is the case when two earthing clips are provided.

In order to be compatible with two pin plugs which have a female earthing recess, the collapsible portion 43 can be adapted to expose a male earthing pin (not shown) when such a two pin plug is detected.

The collapsible portion 43 can be reset in any suitable manner and preferably resets itself to its normal position when the two pin plug is removed from the recesses 13, 14.

It will be appreciated that the embodiments shown and described in Figure 2, 3, and 4 can be incorporated into a single product as shown in Fig. 1. In addition, it is possible for each modification to be considered separately or in different combinations.

For example, Fig. 5 shows a dual socket based on the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. A plurality of socket portions 12 are shown which have an identical arrangement of recesses for receiving the pins of a plug. However, only one of these socket portions may be provided with the converter arrangement 19 as shown in Fig. 2 such that only one of the socket portions has the functionality of the converter arrangement.

Claims

1. An electrical socket comprising a faceplate with a pin receiving means for receiving pins of an electrical plug, wherein the pin receiving means is shaped to receive a plurality of different types of electrical plug.

2. The socket of claim 1 wherein the pin receiving means comprises a plurality of recesses, each recess being arranged with respect to each other so as to correspond to the pin configuration in each different type of electrical plug.

3. The socket of claim 1 or 2 further comprising a converter arrangement for converting an input voltage received from a mains supply to a voltage compatible with the plug received by the plug receiving means.

4. The socket of claim 3 wherein the converter arrangement comprises a detection means for detecting the type of plug which is inserted into the pin receiving means.

5. The socket of claim 4 wherein the converter arrangement further comprises a transformer for converting the input voltage on the basis of the detection carried out by the detection means.

6. The socket of claim 3, 4, or 5 wherein the converter arrangement comprises an input voltage detector for detecting the input voltage received from the mains supply.

7. The socket of any preceding claim further comprising a mechanism for providing an earthing connection when a earthed two pin plug is received by the pin receiving means.

8. The socket of claim 7 wherein the mechanism comprises a means for detecting when a two pin plug with earthing portions is received by the pin receiving means and means for collapsing a portion of the faceplate in order to expose at least on earthing member corresponding to the earthing portions of the two pin plug.

9. The socket of any preceding claim further comprising another pin receiving means which is shaped to receive a plurality of different types of electrical plug, the other pin receiving means being arranged adjacent the pin receiving means and comprising a converter arrangement for converting an input voltage received from a mains supply to a voltage compatible with the plug received by the plug receiving means.

10. A socket substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.