JP2024037050A - outlet - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an outlet with a function to detect when a connected plug is tilted. SOLUTION: A blade receiving spring 6 is electrically connected to a plug blade 20a of a plug 20 inserted from an outlet port 2 provided on the front surface of a case 10, and supplies power to the plug 20. A magnetic sensor 8 is disposed near the blade receiving spring 6 and measures the magnitude of the magnetic field in two directions, the front-rear direction of the case 10 and the orthogonal direction thereof, and calculates the ratio of the magnitude of the measured magnetic field in the two directions, It has a tilt detection circuit 7 which determines that a tilt has occurred in the plug 20 when the calculated ratio deviates from a predetermined range, and a notification section 5 which notifies you when the tilt detection circuit 7 determines that a tilt has occurred. [Selection diagram] Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical outlet, and more particularly to an electrical outlet that has a function to detect when a plug inserted into the electrical outlet is tilted.

A plug inserted into a wall outlet may tilt downward due to the weight or tensile stress of the cord. This inclination causes a connection failure, and a gap between the plug and the outlet causes tracking.
Therefore, there are plugs that are constructed so that the plug does not tilt. For example, in Patent Document 1, the plug is provided with dummy blades, two sets of plug blades are provided, and the plug is attached to an outlet provided with two sets of outlet openings, thereby preventing the occurrence of inclination.

Utility model registration No. 3193802

The above-mentioned conventional plug uses two sets of outlet ports so as not to tilt, so it is large and only one plug can be connected to the two sets of outlet ports.
However, if the inclination of the connected plug can be detected on the outlet side, the user will be able to recognize the occurrence of the inclination of the plug, so there is no need to configure the plug itself so that it does not incline, and a conventional plug can be used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of these problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical outlet having a function of detecting when a connected plug is tilted.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is provided with a blade receiving spring that is electrically connected to the blade of the plug inserted from the outlet provided on the front surface of the case and supplies power to the plug. The electrical outlet is equipped with a magnetic sensor that is placed near the blade spring and measures the magnitude of the magnetic field in two directions, the front-rear direction of the case and the orthogonal direction, and the ratio of the magnitude of the measured magnetic field in the two directions. and a tilt detection circuit that determines that a tilt has occurred in the plug when the calculated ratio deviates from a predetermined range, and a notification section that notifies the user when the tilt detection circuit determines that a tilt has occurred. do.
According to this configuration, if a tilt occurs in the plug inserted into the outlet, this is detected from the change in the magnetic field around the blade receiving spring and a notification operation is performed. Therefore, it is possible to recognize when the plug is tilted and about to be pulled out of the outlet, and to take action before it generates heat or falls out.

The invention according to claim 2 is the configuration according to claim 1, further comprising an electric circuit interrupting means for interrupting energization to the blade receiving spring, and when the inclination detection circuit determines that an inclination has occurred, the electric circuit interrupting means performs an interrupting operation. It is characterized by
According to this configuration, since the power is cut off when the plug is tilted, it is possible to reliably recognize that some abnormality has occurred even if the notification operation cannot be recognized. Furthermore, heat generation due to poor connection can be prevented.

According to the present invention, if a tilt occurs in the plug inserted into the outlet, this is detected from the change in the magnetic field around the blade receiving spring, and a notification operation is performed. Therefore, it is possible to recognize when the plug is tilted and about to be pulled out of the outlet, and to take action before it generates heat or falls out.

An example of an electrical outlet according to the present invention is shown, with (a) being a front view, (b) being a bottom view, and (c) being a right side view. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state where a decorative board is attached to the outlet of FIG. 1 and installed on a wall. FIG. 3 is an explanatory front view showing a blade receiving spring and a magnetic sensor. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of FIG. 3; FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of a tilt detection circuit. FIG. 3 is a right side view of the outlet with the plug connected.

Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of an electrical outlet according to the present invention, in which (a) is a front view, (b) is a bottom view, and (c) is a right side view. In addition, in FIGS. 1(b) and 1(c), the positions of the main components housed inside are shown by broken lines.

The outlet 1 includes a plug blade insertion port (outlet port) 2 to which a plug 20 (shown in FIG. 6) is connected on the front surface of a rectangular case 10, and a cutoff mechanism part (electric circuit cutoff means) to cut off electricity supplied to the outlet port 2. 3 is built in, and an operating lever 4 is provided on the front surface to turn on/off a contact portion (not shown) that is opened by the shutoff mechanism portion 3. Further, 5a is an LED that notifies the occurrence of an abnormality by blinking or the like, and 5c is a sound alarm section that includes a buzzer 5b, which will be described later.
6 is a blade holder spring that clamps the plug blade of the inserted plug 20 to establish an electrical connection; 7 is a tilt detection circuit that detects when the connected plug 20 is tilted; It shows a magnetic sensor that detects the magnitude of a magnetic field generated by a current.
Here, a configuration is shown in which two sets of outlet ports 2 are provided and two plugs 20 can be connected. Further, this outlet 1 is configured to be installed on a wall surface, and mounting pieces 11 are formed at the upper and lower ends of the case 10 for fixing to an outlet box (not shown).

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which a decorative board 12 is attached to the front surface of the outlet 1 and installed on a wall surface. When installed on a wall, the outlet 1 is housed in an outlet box embedded in the wall, and the front side of the outlet 1 surrounded by the decorative board 12 is exposed.

3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams showing the blade receiving spring 6 and the magnetic sensor 8, with FIG. 3 being a front view and FIG. 4 being a perspective view. The magnetism detected by the magnetic sensor 8 will be specifically explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The blade receiving spring 6 is formed on an electrode fitting 9 disposed across the two sets of outlet ports 2, and the blade receiving springs 6 of the same polarity are integrally formed by one electrode fitting 9.
The blade receiving springs 6 forming a pair of one set of outlet ports 2 are formed as independent electrode fittings 9, and the two electrode fittings 9 are arranged in parallel across the two sets of outlet ports 2. .

For the electrode fittings 9 formed in this manner, the magnetic sensor 8 is arranged at the base of the blade receiving spring 6 of one electrode fitting 9, and is not provided for the other electrode fitting 9. Since the magnitude of the magnetic field generated in the blade receiving spring 6 is the same between the pair of blade receiving springs 6, it is only necessary to measure one of them.

The magnetic sensor 8 is composed of, for example, a Hall element, and is configured to detect magnetic fields in two orthogonal directions. Specifically, it is a magnetic field generated by a current in a direction (X direction) parallel to the wall where the outlet 1 is installed, as shown by arrow A1 in FIG. The magnetic field generated by the current in the front-back direction (Y direction) is detected.
The X direction is the direction in which the electrode fittings 9 are arranged, and the magnetic sensor 8 detects the magnetic field generated by the current flowing through the electrode fittings 9. Further, the Y direction is the direction of the blade receiving spring 6, that is, the insertion direction of the blade of the plug 20, and the magnetic sensor 8 detects the magnetic field generated by the current flowing through the blade.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the tilt detection circuit 7. The tilt detection circuit 7 is composed of an MCU, has an input section 7a, a storage section 7b, an abnormality determination section 7c, and an output section 7d, and detects when the connected plug 20 is tilted and outputs an abnormality occurrence signal. do.
Detection signals from the above-mentioned magnetic sensor 8 in two directions are input to the input section 7a. Here, since the outlet 1 has two sets of outlet ports 2 and a magnetic sensor 8 is provided for each, the input section 7a allows connection of two magnetic sensors 8. Further, the output section 7d is connected to a notification section 5 including an LED 5a and a buzzer 5b, and a cutoff drive section (not shown) that causes the cutoff mechanism section 3 to perform a cutoff operation.

The storage unit 7b stores a threshold value (normal range) of the ratio of the detected magnitude of the magnetic field in the X direction to the magnitude of the detected magnetic field in the Y direction. This threshold value is a value registered based on a numerical value measured in advance, and varies depending on the shape of the outlet 1 or the installation position of the magnetic sensor 8.
The abnormality determination unit 7c calculates a ratio based on the information on the magnitude of the magnetic field in two directions obtained from the magnetic sensor 8, and determines that an abnormality has occurred if the ratio falls outside the range of this threshold value.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which the plug 20 is connected to the outlet 1, with the upper plug 20 shown in a normal connected state and the lower plug 20 shown in an inclined state. The plug 20 may tilt as shown in FIG. 6 due to external force or due to the weight of the cord 20b. When the plug 20 is tilted, the plug blade 20a inserted into the outlet 1 is also tilted, and the connection is no longer in a normal state. The tilt detection circuit 7 detects the tilt of the plug blade 20a and outputs an abnormality occurrence signal.

Specifically, when the blade 20a tilts, the direction of the magnetic field generated around the blade 20a changes due to the current flowing through the plug 20 (current in the A2 direction shown in FIG. 4). For example, the magnetic field in the X direction increases and the magnetic field in the Y direction decreases. The magnetic sensor 8 detects the magnitude of this changing magnetic field, and the ratio of the magnetic field in the X direction to the magnetic field in the Y direction changes.
The abnormality determination unit 7c calculates this ratio and compares it with a threshold value, and if the calculated ratio is outside the range of the threshold value, it determines that an abnormality has occurred and outputs an abnormality occurrence signal.
In response to this abnormality occurrence signal, the notification unit 5 causes the LED 5a and the buzzer 5b to operate for notification, the LED 5a blinks, and the buzzer 5b emits an alarm sound. Further, the abnormality occurrence signal causes the cut-off mechanism section 3 to perform a cut-off operation, and power supply to the blade receiving spring 6 is stopped.

In this way, if the plug 20 inserted into the outlet port 2 is tilted, this is detected from the change in the magnetic field generated around the blade receiving spring 6 and a notification operation is performed. Therefore, it is possible to recognize a state in which the plug 20 is tilted and about to be pulled out of the outlet 1, and it is possible to take measures before it generates heat or falls out.
Further, since the power is cut off when the plug 20 is tilted, it is possible to reliably recognize that some abnormality has occurred even if the notification operation cannot be recognized. Furthermore, heat generation due to poor connection can be prevented.

In the above embodiment, the magnetic sensor 8 is arranged at the base of the blade receiving spring 6, but it may be arranged at an upper position near the tip of the blade receiving spring 6. Moreover, although the magnetic sensor 8 is provided for each of the two sets of outlet ports 2, one magnetic sensor 8 may be provided at an intermediate position between the two sets of outlet ports 2.
Furthermore, although the explanation has been made regarding the outlet 1 installed on a wall, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the outlet 1 equipped with the tilt detection circuit of the present invention can be applied to an outlet installed on the floor, and it can also be applied to an outlet installed on the floor, such as a power strip. This can also be applied to outlets that can be freely placed via extension cords.
Further, the blocking mechanism section 3 may be omitted, and it is sufficient to simply notify when the tilt is detected.

1. Outlet, 2. Outlet port, 3. Cutoff mechanism section (electrical circuit cutoff means), 5. Notification section, 5a.. LED, 5b.. Buzzer, 6.. Blade holder spring, 7.. Tilt. Detection circuit, 7b...Storage unit, 7c...Abnormality determination unit, 8...Magnetic sensor, 9...Electrode fitting, 10...Case, 20...Plug, 20a...Blug blade.

Claims (2)

An electrical outlet equipped with a blade receiving spring that is electrically connected to a blade of a plug inserted from an outlet opening provided on the front side of a case to supply power to the plug,
a magnetic sensor that is disposed near the blade receiving spring and measures the magnitude of the magnetic field in two directions: a front-rear direction of the case and a direction perpendicular thereto;
a tilt detection circuit that calculates a ratio of the magnitudes of the measured magnetic fields in the two directions, and determines that a tilt has occurred in the plug if the calculated ratio deviates from a predetermined range;
An electrical outlet, comprising: a notification section that notifies when the tilt detection circuit determines that a tilt has occurred. comprising an electric circuit interrupting means for interrupting energization to the blade receiving spring;
2. The electrical outlet according to claim 1, wherein when the tilt detection circuit determines that a tilt has occurred, the electrical circuit interrupting means performs a disconnection operation.

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