NZ601103B - A 16a socket with an intelligent protection shutter - Google Patents

Abstract

601103 A 16A socket 1 comprising a base 3, and a L-pole earth contact 3.2, a N-pole earth contact 3.1 and an E-pole earth contact 3.3 which are provided in the base 3 for connecting with a live wire, a neutral wire and a ground wire respectively. The 16A socket 1 further comprises a protection shutter 2 disposed in the base 3 for covering the N-pole earth contact 3.1 and the L-pole earth contact 3.2. The protection shutter 2 comprises a drive surface and a planar surface portion over the E-pole earth contact 3.3 which are joined together. The drive surface and the planar surface portion are formed such that when a 16A plug is inserted into the 16A socket 1 the E-pole plug pin of the 16A plug is brought into contact only with the drive surface but not with the planar surface portion, while when a 10A plug is inserted into the 16A socket 1 the E-pole plug pin of the 10A plug is brought into contact only with the planar surface portion but not with the drive surface. ter 2 disposed in the base 3 for covering the N-pole earth contact 3.1 and the L-pole earth contact 3.2. The protection shutter 2 comprises a drive surface and a planar surface portion over the E-pole earth contact 3.3 which are joined together. The drive surface and the planar surface portion are formed such that when a 16A plug is inserted into the 16A socket 1 the E-pole plug pin of the 16A plug is brought into contact only with the drive surface but not with the planar surface portion, while when a 10A plug is inserted into the 16A socket 1 the E-pole plug pin of the 10A plug is brought into contact only with the planar surface portion but not with the drive surface.

Description

A 16A SOCKET WITH AN INTELLIGENT PROTECTION SHUTTER FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a socket, in particular to a 16A socket with an intelligent protection shutter.

THE RELATED ART Currently, 16A sockets and 10A sockets are widely used in the market, wherein 16A sockets are mainly used in high power electric appliances, such as air conditioners, and 10A sockets are mainly used in low power electric appliances, such as TV sets. Since a 16A socket and a 10A socket are different in pin distance and size of receptacles, a plug for a 10A socket can not be inserted into a 16A socket, and vice versa.

However, in view of the standard of product specification, the 16A and 10A sockets are very similar in profile and parameters. Therefore, in practice, without differentiating therebetween, a user may usually insert a 10A plug into a 16A socket by applying a larger force thereon. Under such forced insertion, the plug may not be completely inserted into the earth contact due to inconformity of the specifications of the plug and the socket, such that the contact resistance between the plug and the socket is increased, and thereby overheating occurs, which results in damage to the plug and the socket, and even burns down the plug and the socket. In this case, there may be a risk of unsafe use of electricity, for example, catching a fire.

Therefore, there is a need for a new type of 16A socket, which can prevent the 10A plug from being inserted into the 16A socket intentionally and unconsciously to avoid accidents in electricity utilization.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To solve the above technical problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a 16A socket with an intelligent protection shutter, which is simple in structure, easy to manufacture, as well as stable and safe in use. This 16A socket is capable of preventing a 10A plug from being inserted therein, and thus overcome the defects existing in the prior art.

According to the present invention, a 16A socket with an intelligent protection shutter is provided, comprising: a base; and a L-pole earth contact, a N-pole earth contact and an E-pole earth contact which are arranged inside the base for connecting with a live wire, a neutral wire and a ground wire, respectively, characterized in that, the 16A socket further comprises: a protection shutter disposed in the base for covering the N-pole earth contact and the L-pole earth contact, the protection shutter comprising a drive surface and a planar surface portion over the E-pole earth contact that are joined together, and the drive surface and the planar surface portion being formed such that an E-pole plug pin of a 16A plug is brought into contact only with the drive surface without contacting the planar surface portion upon the 16A plug being inserted into the 16A socket, and such that an E-pole plug pin of a 10A plug is brought into contact only with the planar surface portion without contacting the drive surface upon the 10A plug being inserted into the 16A socket. whereby, when a 16A plug is inserted into the 16A socket of the present invention, an E-pole plug pin of the 16A plug is only brought into contact with the drive surface but not with the planar surface portion, such that a depress force from the plug drives the drive surface to push away the protection shutter, thereby exposing the L-pole earth contact and the N-pole earth contact of the 16A socket so that a L-pole plug pin and a N-pole plug pin of the 16A plug can be inserted, respectively into the L-pole earth contact and the N-pole earth contact, and meanwhile, the E-pole plug pin of the 16A plug is inserted into the E-pole earth contact of the 16A socket. When a 10A plug is inserted into the 16A socket, an E-pole plug pin of the 10A plug is only brought into contact with the planar surface portion but not with the drive surface, such that the depress force from the plug can not drive and push away the protection shutter, thereby the L-pole earth contact, the N-pole earth contact and the E-pole earth contact being still covered by the protection shutter, and thus, a N-pole plug pin and a L-pole plug pin of the 10A plug can not be inserted into the N-pole earth contact and the L-pole earth contact, respectively, and the E-pole plug pin of the 10A plug can not be inserted into the E-pole earth contact, either. In this way, any wrong operation of inserting a 10A plug into a 16A socket is avoided.

Preferably, the drive surface is in a form of an inclined planar surface or an inclined convex surface.

In an embodiment, the drive surface has a width W between about 1.7mm and 2.6mm.

Preferably, the drive surface and the planar surface portion are integrally formed with each other.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the 16A socket is a 16A single-phase double-pole grounding socket according to the Chinese national standard GB1002, and the 16A plug is a 16A single-phase double-pole grounding plug according to the Chinese national standard GB1002, and the 10A plug is a 10A single-phase double-pole grounding plug according to the Chinese national standard GB1002.

The 16A socket of the present invention adopts a structure combing the drive surface with the planar surface portion, and thus can prevent a 10A plug from being inserted into the 16A socket, thereby avoiding accidents in electricity utilization. This 16A socket in the present invention has the advantages of simple structure, low manufacturing costs, and safe and reliable use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and further objects and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be further described in conjunction with specific embodiments and with reference to accompanying drawings. The present invention will become more apparent from reading the following description. In the drawings, the same or corresponding technical features or components are indicated by the same or corresponding reference signs, in which: Figure 1 is an exploded view of a 16A socket having an intelligent protection shutter according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the 16A socket of Figure 1, wherein the protection shutter is assembled to a base; Figures 3a and 3b are views of structures of the protection shutter, wherein Figure 3a is a front view of the protection shutter, and Figure 3b is a perspective view; Figure 4 is an illustration showing the insertion of a 16A plug into the 16A socket of the present invention; Figure 5 is an illustration showing insertion of a 10A plug into the 16A socket of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, several specific embodiments of the present invention are described. These specific embodiments only serve to illustrate the present invention and should not be construed as limitations thereto.

Figures 1 and 2 show exploded perspective views of a 16A socket having an intelligent protection shutter according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing various component parts of the 16A socket, and Figure 2 shows a view of the 16A socket with the protection shutter being assembled within a base. According to Figures 1 and 2, the 16A socket having an intelligent protection shutter of the present invention includes an upper cover 1, a protection shutter 2, and a base 3. A N-pole earth contact 3.1, a L-pole earth contact 3.2 and an E-pole earth contact (ground contact) 3.3 are provided in the base 3. It is shown in Figure 2 that the protection shutter 2 is fitted within the base 3 and covers the N-pole earth contact 3.1, the L-pole earth contact 3.2 and the E-pole earth contact 3.3 provided in the base 3.

In the 16A socket of the present invention, the N-pole earth contact 3.1, the L-pole earth contact 3.2 and the E-pole earth contact 3.3 are disposed in the base 3 for connecting with a live wire, a neutral wire and a ground wire, respectively. As show in Figures 1 and 2, in the 16A socket, a spring 6 is further provided between the protection shutter 2 and the base 3. When being compressed the spring 6 provides the protection shutter 2 with a restoring spring force to its initial position. Alternatively, the spring 6 may also provide the protection shutter 2 with a retaining force to retain the protection shutter 2 in its initial state.

In Figures 3a and 3b, the structures of the protection shutter 2 of the 16A socket of the present invention are shown. The protection shutter 2 includes a drive surface 2.2 and a planar surface portion 2.3 over the E-pole earth contact 3.3 which are joined together. The drive surface 2.2 is preferably in a form of an inclined planar surface, or may be in a form of an inclined convex surface. It may be understood, the drive surface 2.2 can also be in other forms, as long as it may contact with an E-pole plug pin of a 16A plug to be driven. Since the drive surface 2.2 and the planar surface portion 2.3 are located above/on the E-pole earth contact 3.3, they may cover the E-pole earth contact 3.3.

In the embodiment, the drive surface 2.2 and the planar surface portion 2.3 are configured such that, upon inserting a 16A plug, an E-pole plug pin of the 16A plug is brought into contact only with the drive surface 2.2 but not with the planar surface portion 2.3, while, upon inserting a 10A plug, an E-pole plug pin of the 10A plug is brought into contact only with the planar surface portion 2.3 but not with the drive surface 2.2. To this end, in one embodiment of a 16A socket according to the Chinese national standard GB1002, the drive surface 2.2 is formed to have a width W between about 1.7mm and 2.6mm, as shown in Figures 3a and 3b. Preferably, the drive surface 2.2 and the planar surface portion 2.3 are integrally formed. In addition, the protection shutter 2 is further provided with a protrusion 2.1 for engaging with the spring 6, as described above.

Figure 4 is an illustration of inserting a 16A plug into the 16A socket of the present invention, with a left half of the upper cover 1 being removed in order to present the interior structures clearly, which shows that an E-pole plug pin 4.3 of the 16A plug contacts the drive surface 2.2 of the protection shutter 2. Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of inserting a 10A plug into the 16A socket of the present invention, with the left half of the upper cover being removed so as to present the interior structures clearly, which shows that a E-pole plug pin 5.3 of the 10A plug contacts the planar surface portion 2.3 of the protection shutter 2.

With the above described structure of the protection shutter 2, when a 16A plug is inserted into the 16A socket, as shown in Figure 4, the E-pole plug pin 4.3 of the 16A plug is only brought into contact with the drive surface 2.2 but not with the planar surface portion 2.3, such that a depress force from the plug drives the drive surface 2.2 to push away the protection shutter 2, thereby exposing the L-pole earth contact 3.2 and the N-pole earth contact 3.1 of the 16A socket so that a L-pole plug pin 4.2 and a N-pole plug pin 4.1 of the 16A plug can be respectively inserted into the L-pole earth contact 3.2 and the N-pole earth contact 3.1. Meanwhile, the E-pole plug pin 4.3 of the 16A plug can be inserted into the E-pole earth contact 3.3 of the 16A socket. When a 10A plug is inserted into the 16A socket, as shown in Figure 5, due to the fact that the 10A plug has a dimension specification smaller than that of the 16A plug, the E-pole plug pin 5.3 of the 10A plug is only brought into contact with the planar surface portion 2.3 but not with the drive surface 2.2 of the protection shutter 2, such that the depress force of the plug can not drive and push away the protection shutter 2, and thereby the L-pole earth contact 3.2, the N-pole earth contact 3.1 and the E-pole earth contact 3.3 of the 16A socket remain to be covered by the protection shutter 2. Thus, a N-pole plug pin 5.1 and a L-pole plug pin 5.2 of the 10A plug can not be inserted into the N-pole earth contact 3.1 and the L-pole earth contact 3.2 of the 16A socket, respectively, and the E-pole plug pin 5.3 of the 10A plug can not be inserted into the E-pole earth contact 3.3, either.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the 16A socket is a 16A single-phase double-pole grounding socket according to the Chinese national standard GB1002, and the 16A plug is a 16A single-phase double-pole grounding plug according to the Chinese national standard GB1002, and the 10A plug is a 10A single-phase double-pole grounding plug according to the Chinese national standard GB1002. However, it may also be understood that the 16A socket and the associated 16A and 10A plugs in the present invention may be of other formats and standards.

By providing a structure that combines the drive surface and the planar surface portion on the protection shutter, the present invention enables prevention of plugs other than 16A plug, such as a 10A plug, from being inserted into a 16A socket, thereby ensuring safe use of electricity. Such a 16A socket of the present invention has the advantages of simple structure, low manufacturing costs, and safe and reliable use.

Although the above preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, an ordinary person skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, changes and combinations can be made to the present invention according to design requirements and other conditions, without departing from the spirit and scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims (7)

CLAIMS :

1. A 16A socket with an intelligent protection shutter, comprising: a base; and a L-pole earth contact, a N-pole earth contact and an E-pole earth contact which are provided in the base for connecting with a live wire, a neutral wire and a ground wire, respectively, wherein the 16A socket further comprises: a protection shutter disposed in the base for covering the N-pole earth contact and the L-pole earth contact, the protection shutter comprising a drive surface and a planar surface portion over the E-pole earth contact which are joined together, and the drive surface and the planar surface portion being formed such that, upon a 16A plug being inserted into the 16A socket , an E-pole plug pin of the 16A plug is brought into contact only with the drive surface but not with the planar surface portion, while upon a 10A plug being inserted into the 16A socket, an E-pole plug pin of the 10A plug is brought into contact only with the planar surface portion but not with the drive surface.

2. The 16A socket according to claim 1, wherein the drive surface is in a form of an inclined planar surface or an inclined convex surface.

3. The 16A socket according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drive surface has a width W between about 1.7mm and 2.6mm.

4. The 16A socket according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drive surface and the planar surface portion are integrally formed with each other.

5. The 16A socket according to claim 3, wherein the drive surface and the planar surface portion are integrally formed with each other.

6. The 16A socket according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the 16A socket is a 16A single-phase double-pole grounding socket according to the Chinese national standard GB1002, and the 16A plug is a 16A single-phase double-pole grounding plug according to the Chinese national standard GB1002, and the 10A plug is a 10A single-phase double-pole grounding plug according to the Chinese national standard GB1002.

7. The 16A socket according to claim 5, wherein the 16A socket is a 16A single-phase double-pole grounding socket according to the Chinese national standard GB1002, and the 16A plug is a 16A single-phase double-pole grounding plug according to the Chinese national standard GB1002, and the 10A plug is a 10A single-phase double-pole grounding plug according to the Chinese national standard GB1002.