WO2001009984A1

WO2001009984A1 - Socket

Info

Publication number: WO2001009984A1
Application number: PCT/JP2000/005182
Authority: WO
Inventors: Yoshiyuki Itoki
Original assignee: Den Den Bell Service, Inc.
Priority date: 1999-08-03
Filing date: 2000-08-02
Publication date: 2001-02-08
Also published as: AU6317200A; JP2001052792A; JP3099193B1

Abstract

A socket from which the plug is easily unplugged with a weak force. A receiving piece (29) out of a pair of receiving pieces (27, 29) for holding each of the blades of a plug is secured to a lever (25) and is movable with respect to the receiving piece (27). The lever (25) is supported rotatably in a socket housing (1). The socket has a pressable operating button (33b). The lever (25) is rotated when the operating button is pressed, and the receiving piece (29) is moved away from the receiving piece (27) to weaken the pinching force of the socket. Simultaneously operating means (33) presses a link body (35) to cause the front end of a pushing member (37) to project from the socket housing (1). Thus the plug is pushed out from the socket housing (1).

Description

Specification

Technical center

The present invention relates to an outlet that can easily perform an operation of removing a plug with a small force. Background art

A commonly used outlet retains a plug blade between a pair of blade receiving spring members to achieve electrical connection and mechanical retention of the blade. In this type of outlet, it is necessary to hold the blade so that the plug does not accidentally come out, so the blade holding force of the blade receiving spring member is set to be relatively large.

As described above, since the pinching force of the spring member holding the plug blade is relatively large, a relatively strong force is required to remove the plug from the outlet. As a result, current outlets have the problem that it is not easy for children, the elderly and the physically handicapped to unplug. Disclosure of the invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to hold the blade so that the blade does not accidentally come out while the plug is connected to the outlet, and to disconnect the plug from the outlet. An object of the present invention is to provide an outlet that can easily remove a plug blade with a relatively small force when removing a plug. That is, the outlet of the present invention to which a plug having a plurality of contacts can be connected includes the following configuration: An outlet housing having a slot for passing a contact;

Contact receiving means for receiving contacts, the contact receiving means comprising at least two pairs of receiving pieces, each pair being arranged to hold one of the contacts between the receiving pieces;

The opening / closing means for changing the distance between the receiving pieces of each pair includes a lever to which at least one of the receiving pieces of each pair is connected and rotatably supported in the outlet housing, and a receiving means for each pair. A spring member for applying a spring bias in a direction to apply a holding force for holding the contact between the pieces; an operating portion accessible by a user from the outside of the outlet housing, and opening / closing against the holding force The operating means for operating the means, the operating means has a cam which moves straight by operating the operating part, and the cam converts the straight movement of the cam into a rotational movement of the lever in a direction to weaken the holding force described above. Having an inclined surface used for;

An extrusion member protruding outward from the outlet housing at a connection surface between the outlet housing and the plug; and

A link body that allows the extrusion member to protrude from the outlet housing in conjunction with the straight movement of the cam.

According to the outlet having the above configuration, at least one of the receiving pieces that hold the contacts (plug blade or contact pin) of the plug is moved in conjunction with the operation of the operation unit, and the contact piece is received between the receiving pieces. Since the holding force of the plug is reduced, a large amount of force is not required when unplugging the plug, making it easier to remove the plug. As described above, since the opening / closing means can be configured with a small number of parts, it is possible to provide an outlet having a sophisticated structure at a relatively low cost. In particular, the operation of pushing out the plug from the outlet by protruding the pushing member from the outlet housing, and weakening the force holding the contact of the plug between the receiving pieces. Since the operation of making the contacts easy to remove from the receiving piece can be achieved simultaneously by operating the operating means, the operation of unplugging the plug becomes easier.

In the outlet described above, the link body is supported in a manner capable of seesaw movement in the outlet housing, the tip of the cam is pressed against one end of the link body, and the pushing member is rotatably connected to the other end of the link body. It is preferable to be done. According to this configuration, since the link body and the push-out member are rotatably connected, the push-out member can be moved forward and backward so as not to be inclined with respect to the outer surface of the outlet housing. In other words, since the plug is pushed straight out in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the outlet housing by operating the operating means, the force applied to the operating means for removing the plug can be used efficiently. .

In the above outlet, the contact receiving means has two pairs of receiving pieces substantially arranged on the same circumference centered on the rotation center of the lever, and the operating means is operated by a user. It is preferable that the lever be rotated so that the distance between the receiving pieces of each pair increases in conjunction with the straight movement of the cam. According to this configuration, since the contact holding force is reduced by increasing the distance between the receiving pieces, it can be adopted regardless of the cross-sectional shape of the contact of the plug.

Further, in the above outlet, the contact receiving means has two pairs of receiving pieces substantially arranged in a radial direction of an arc centered on the rotation center of the lever, and the operating means is operated by a user. At this time, it is preferable that the lever be rotated in a direction to shift the facing position of the receiving piece of each pair in conjunction with the straight movement of the cam. According to this configuration, the contact holding force is reduced by shifting the facing position of the receiving piece instead of changing the distance of the receiving piece, so that the plug can be effectively used when the plug has a flat contact. Further features of the present invention and the effects provided by the same will be understood in more detail based on the best mode for carrying out the invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an outlet according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 2A to 2C are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the outlet.

3A and 3B are a sectional view and a partial sectional view of the outlet, respectively. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a plug is connected to the outlet described above. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the outlet member of the outlet.

Fig. 6 is a front view of the outlet.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing an outlet according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 8A and 8B are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the outlet in the above.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the outlet.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing an outlet according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 11A and 11B are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the outlet in the above.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of an outlet according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a partial sectional view of the outlet.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing an outlet opening / closing unit according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the opening and closing unit in the above. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

First embodiment The outlet according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS.

The outlet of this embodiment to which a plug having a pair of blades can be connected has an outlet housing 1 and two pairs of receiving pieces (27, 29) as blade receiving means inside the outlet housing. An opening / closing unit (25, 44) for changing the distance between the receiving pieces of each pair, an operating unit 33 for operating the opening / closing unit which can be accessed from outside by a user, and an outlet housing An extruding member 37 which can protrude from the outside to the outside and a link body 35 for making the extruding member protrude from the outlet housing are accommodated.

As shown in FIG. 1, the outlet housing 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case 11 having an upper opening, and a cover 12 having a pair of slots 16 for covering the upper opening of the case and passing a plug blade. Be composed. The case 11 and the cover 12 are made of an electrically insulating material, for example, a synthetic resin material. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a protective cover that can be attached to the back of the case 11 to prevent the base 27a of the fixed terminal 27, which is one of the receiving pieces, from being exposed. For example, when the outlet of the present embodiment is used as a power strip, the base 27a can be prevented from being exposed by attaching the protective cover 10 after connecting the power line to the base 27a.

The receiving piece of the blade includes a pair of fixed terminals 27 fixed to the inner bottom surface of the case 11 and a pair of movable terminals 29. Therefore, each of the plug blades is sandwiched between the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29. The fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29 are each made of a metal material having good conductivity. The opening / closing unit is a force for holding the blade between the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29, and the plate-like first lever 25 and the second lever 44 for mounting the movable terminal 29. The springs 26, 4 7 that apply spring biasing force in the direction to increase the blade pinching force including.

Each of the fixed terminals 27 is arranged at a predetermined position by using a positioning projection 24 provided on the inner bottom surface of the case 11. The base 27 a of the fixed terminal 27 is exposed to the outside of the case 11 through a hole provided on the bottom of the case 11, and is fixed to the back of the case 11 by using fixing screws 27 b .

One of the movable terminals 29 is fixed to a fixing rib 30 provided at one end of the first lever 25 by using a fixing tool 31 such as a rivet. The other end of the first lever 25 has a wall 25a having a rod-like projection for holding a panel 26 such as a coil spring, and a projection having an inclined surface provided adjacent to the wall. Body 25c. Similarly, the other movable terminal 29 is fixed to a fixing rib 30 provided at one end of the second lever 44 by using a fixing tool 31 such as a rivet. The other end of the second lever 44 has a wall 44 e having a rod-shaped projection for holding a spring 47 such as a coil spring, and a projection having an inclined surface provided adjacent to the wall. The body has 4 4 c.

At the approximate center of the first lever 25 and the second lever 44, a shaft hole is provided.

25b and 44b are provided, and by superimposing them so that their shaft holes coincide, a substantially X-shaped structure as shown in FIG. 2B can be obtained. In the structure obtained in this manner, the shaft pins 23 protruding from the cylindrical shaft protrusions 23 provided at the center of the bottom surface of the case 11 should be inserted into the shaft holes 25 b and 44 b. Thus, it is supported in the case 11 so as to be rotatable around the shaft pin. In addition, shaft pin 2

The distal end of 3a is preferably smaller in diameter than the base side. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2A, the fixed terminal 27 fixed to the case 11 is arranged to face the movable terminal 29 attached to the first and second levers. Further, as shown in FIG. 2C, the inclined surface of the projection 25c of the first lever 25 is formed by the inclination of the projection 44c of the second lever 44 via a cam body 33c described later. Facing the surface.

By the way, the second lever 44 is supported by the base of the shaft projection 23 and the corresponding positioning projection 24, and the first lever 25 is superimposed on the second lever 44 and has the corresponding positioning projection 2 Backed by four. Accordingly, the projection height of the positioning projection 24 supporting the first lever 25 is larger than the projection height of the positioning projection 24 supporting the second lever 44. Instead of providing positioning protrusions 24 with different protruding heights, when the first lever 25 is superimposed on the second lever 4, the bottom surface of the first lever and the bottom surface of the second lever should be flush. A configuration in which the intersection of the first lever and the second lever is made thinner may be employed. As a result, the distance between the inner bottom surface of the case 11 and each of the levers 25, 44 can be made equal.

When the above-mentioned structure composed of the first and second levers is supported in the case 11, one end of the spring 26 is held by the wall portion 25a of the first lever, and the other end of the spring 26 is The end is held by a panel receiving projection (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the side wall with the case 11. Accordingly, the first lever 25 is spring-biased counterclockwise around the shaft pin 23a as viewed from above in FIG. Similarly, one end of the panel 47 is held by the wall portion 44 e of the second lever, and the other end of the panel 47 is formed by a panel receiving projection 12 b provided on the inner surface of the opposite side wall of the case 11. Will be retained. Therefore, the second lever 44 is spring-biased clockwise around the shaft pin 23a as viewed from above in FIG. In order to prevent the first lever 25 and the second lever 44 from rising from the inner bottom surface of the body 11, as shown in FIG. 2 Pressing rib 12a protrudes toward the end of lever 25,44.

As described above, the springs 26 and 47 are connected to the opposing side wall of the case 11 It is held between the first and second lever walls 25a and 44e. Therefore, the spring biasing force of these panels acts in a direction in which the distance between the projection 25c of the first lever and the projection 44c of the second lever is reduced. When the first and second levers rotate so that the distance between the protrusions 25c and 44c is reduced, the movable terminal 29 and the fixed terminal 27 attached to the other end of the first lever are rotated. , And the distance between the movable terminal 29 and the fixed terminal 27 attached to the other end of the second lever, respectively. Therefore, the gap between the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29 narrows, so that the plug blade of the plug inserted between these gaps through the slot 16 of the cover 12 is held with a large clamping force. Be done. FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view when the plug blade of the plug P is inserted into the outlet of this embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 12 d denotes a partition wall protruding from the inner surface of the cover 12 in order to ensure insulation between the pair of the fixed terminal and the movable terminal.

The operation unit 33 for operating the opening / closing unit to increase the distance between the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29 against the biasing force of the springs 26, 47 is used by the user from outside the outlet. An operation button member 33b which can be accessed by the user and a cam body 33c. Cam surfaces 33a are formed on both side surfaces of the cam body 33c so that the cam body 33c becomes tapered toward the tip. The button member 33 b has a protrusion 33 e on the side where the cam body 33 c is arranged, and a substantially rectangular operation hole 18 provided on the side of the cover 12 facing the slot 16. Attached to. As shown in FIG. 3B, the projection 33e of the button member 33b is pressed against the upper surface of the cam body 33c via one end of a link body 35 described later.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 2C, the protrusions 25 C and 44 C of the first lever 25 and the second lever 44 are arranged such that the distance between them decreases toward the tip of the protrusion. It has an inclined surface inclined. Also, the 1st lever and the 1st lever (2) Since the springs 26 and 47 apply spring biasing force to the levers in the direction to reduce the distance between the projections 25c and 44c, the inclined surfaces of the projections 25c and 44c It comes into contact with the cam surfaces 33a provided on both sides of the cam body 33c. When the cam body 33c is pushed down in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2C, the distance between the projections 25c and 44c is expanded against the spring urging forces of the springs 26 and 47. As a result, the distance between the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29 at the opposite ends of the first and second levers is increased, and as a result, the blade holding force can be reduced. As described above, the downward movement of the cam body 33 c by the operation of the button member 33 b is performed by the first and second levers in the direction in which the pinching force is weakened by the cam surface 33 a of the cam body 33 c. The plug is easily converted with a small force. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 12c denotes a through hole provided on the inner bottom surface of the case 11 to guide the cam body 33c.

As shown in FIG. 1, the link body 35 has one end formed in a forked shape, and each of the forked portions has a ball receiving hole 39 that opens in a long hole shape. Further, the link body 35 has pivot shafts 35a on both side edges which are supported by bearings 36 provided on the inner surfaces of the case 11 facing each other. The link body 35 supported by the case 11 is movable in a seesaw motion around a pivot shaft 35a.

The pushing member 37 includes a pair of mouths 41 each having a ball 40 at one end, and a return spring 42 such as a coil spring having an inner diameter through which the mouth can be inserted. The ball receiving hole 39 of the link body 35 receives a part of the ball 40 of each opening. The tip of the rod opposite to the ball 40 can protrude from a through hole 17 provided adjacent to each slot 16 of the cover 12. Therefore, the two mouths 41 can be advanced and retracted simultaneously by the link body 35. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 4, the return spring 42 is held between a holding piece 48 projecting from the inner peripheral surface of the side wall of the cover 11 and the ball 40.

The holding piece 48 is provided at a position where it does not contact the upper end of the movable terminal 29 when the distance between the movable terminal 29 and the fixed terminal 27 is large. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a notch groove for letting out the opening 41 so that the movement of the movable terminal is not obstructed by the rod 41 when the distance from the fixed terminal 27 is increased.

29 a is provided at the upper end of the movable terminal 29.

When the button member 3 3 b of the outlet is not pressed, the spring biasing force of the return spring 42 works in the direction of pressing the ball 40 of the mouth 4 1 against the ball receiving hole 39 of the link body 35. The link body 35 is maintained in the state shown in FIG. 3A, and the tip of the rod does not protrude from the insertion hole 17 of the cover 12. On the other hand, when the button member 3 3 b is pressed, the protrusion of the button member

33 e pushes down one end of the link body 35, which causes a seesaw movement about the pivot shaft 35a, and the other end of the link body returns to the return spring 4 as shown by the dotted line in FIG. Push up the rod 41 against the spring bias of 2. As a result, the tip of the rod projects from the insertion hole 17 of the cover 12. The projection of the tip of the rod pushes the plug out of the outlet. As described above, in conjunction with the downward movement of the button member 33b, the link body 35 causes the push member 37 to protrude from the surface of the outlet housing 1, and as a result, the button member 33b is moved to the outlet housing 1 The plug P can be easily pulled out of the outlet simply by pushing it into the outlet.

Also, when the button member 3 3b is pressed, the projection 3 3e of the button member pushes down the cam body 33c via one end of the link body 35, and the first lever 25 and the second lever 4 4 are pushed down. The protrusions between 25c and 44c are spread apart. As a result, the distance between each pair of the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29 widens, and the blade holding force is increased. Therefore, the pushing member 37 can push the plug P from the outlet with a relatively small force.

In the outlet of this embodiment, the same effect as in the case where the button member is pressed by pulling the pull cord 51 can be obtained. That is, as shown in FIG. 3B, one end of the drawstring 51 is inserted into a through hole 35b provided at one end of the link body 35 through a guide tube 50 arranged in the case 11. It is connected, and the other end of the drawstring is drawn out of the outlet housing 1 through a drawout 53 provided near the rectangular hole 18 of the cover 12. As shown in FIG. 6, a ring 52 is fixed to one end of the drawstring 51, and another string can be connected to the ring 52 to extend the drawstring 51.

When the user pulls the pull cord 5 1 instead of pressing the button member, the distance between the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29 increases by the same operation as when the button member 3 3 b is pressed. Thus, the pinching force can be reduced, and the push-out member 37 can be protruded from the outlet housing 1.

As described above, when the plug member P is removed by pressing the button member 3 3 b or pulling the drawstring 51, the cam body 33 c and the link body 35 are held in that position. A stopper (not shown) for locking the link body 35 is formed on the side wall of the body 11. With this stopper, when the plug P is unplugged from the outlet by operating the button member 33 b or the drawstring 51, a wide gap is maintained between the movable terminal 29 and the fixed terminal 27. Then, the rod 41 is kept in the protruding state. When the plug P is inserted again in this state, the rod 41 is pushed back by the plug P, whereby the force is transmitted to the link body 35, and as a result, the locked state of the link body 35 by the stopper is released, and the cam body is released. 3 3 c and link body 3 5 can be returned to their original positions. At this time, when plug P is inserted into the outlet, fixed terminal Since the distance between the movable terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29 is wide, there is an advantage that the plug can be inserted with a small force. When the locked state of the link body 35 due to the horn is released, the blade of the plug P is sandwiched between the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29 by the biasing force of the springs 26 and 47. . The cam body 33c is pushed up by the movement of the link body 35, and the pushed button member is pressed.

3 3b returns to the normal position.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 19 denotes a notch 19 provided on one side of the button hole 18. By providing the cutout portion 19, it is possible to secure a space where the user's finger can be inserted when pressing the button member 33b with a finger, and the operation of the operation unit 33b becomes easy. The width of the notch 19 is smaller than the width of the button hole 18, and a step 20 is formed between the button hole 18 and the notch 19. The button member 33b is guided by a rectangular hole 18 and a stepped portion 20 so as not to be loose. Here, the button member 33 b is locked by locking a protrusion (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the button hole 18 and a protrusion (not shown) provided on the button member 33 b. It does not fall out of outlet housing 1. The pushing amount of the button member 33 b into the outlet housing 1 can be changed by the depth of the button hole 18.

In this embodiment, since the link body 35 is disposed between the first and second levers 25 and 44 and the canopy 112, the outlet housing having the same thickness as the conventional outlet is used. One can be used. Further, in this embodiment, since the distance between the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29 which sandwich the blade of the plug P is variable, the cross-sectional shape of the blade is arbitrarily selected. be able to. For example, it can be used both when the plug P has a flat blade and when the plug P has a contact pin having a round cross section.

Second embodiment The outlet according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS.

In the outlet of the first embodiment, the two movable terminals 29 are moved by using the first lever 25 and the second lever 44. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, two movable terminals 29 are moved by using a single plate-like lever 25. The single lever 25 is disposed between the link body 35 and the cover 12. In addition, the outlet of this embodiment does not have the drawstring 51 for operating the link body 35. The outlet housing 1 includes a rectangular case 11 having screw holes at four corners, and a cover 12 having through holes 14 at four corners. The cover 12 is fixed to the case 11 via a base plate 21 described later by using a screw 15. The cover 12 has a slot 16 for inserting a pair of blades of a plug, and a button hole 18 used for mounting the operation member 33.

In the outlet of the present embodiment, first, the pivot shaft 35 a of the link body 35 is supported by the bearing 36 provided on the inner surface of the side wall of the case 11. The link body 35 supported in the case 11 can perform seesaw motion about the pivot shaft 35a as a rotation center. The link body 35 receives the ball receiving groove 39 provided at one end of the rod 41 as an extruding member and against which a part of the ball 40 is pressed, and the lower end surface of the operating member 33. It has a pair of receiving ribs 38 provided at the bottom.

Next, the base plate is placed on the case 11 so that the insertion holes provided at the four corners of the base plate 21 match the screw holes 13 at the four corners of the case 11. Each of the pair of fixed terminals 27 is located at a position corresponding to the slot 16 provided in the cover 12 by the positioning protrusion 24 provided on the upper surface of the base plate 21, and is located at the base of the fixed terminal 27. Screw 2 7 b through insertion hole 27 a Is fixed to the base plate 21. In addition, a shaft projection 23 is protrudingly provided substantially at the center of the upper surface of the base plate 21, and a shaft pin 23 a having a smaller diameter than the base side is formed at the tip of the shaft projection 23. Further, the base plate 21 includes a cutout window 22 provided in a region corresponding to the button hole 18 of the cover 12, a wall 21 a for holding one end of a holding spring 26 such as a coil panel described later, And an insertion hole 28 through which the mouth 40 is passed.

Next, the single lever 25 is supported by the base of the shaft projection 23 of the base plate 21 and the positioning projection 24. The shaft pin 23a of the base plate 21 is inserted into the shaft hole 25b of the lever, so that the single lever 25 can rotate around the shaft pin 23a. Each of the pair of movable terminals 29 is arranged at a predetermined position by a fixing rib 23 provided on the upper surface of the single lever 25, and is fixed to the fixing rib 23 by a fixing tool 31 such as a rivet. . Further, the single lever 25 has a wall 25a having a rod-like projection for holding the other end of the holding spring 26 described above. Therefore, the retaining spring 26 is retained between the wall 21a of the base plate 21 and the wall 25a of the single lever 25. Therefore, the holding spring 26 applies a counterclockwise spring biasing force to the single lever 25 with the shaft pin 23a as the center of rotation. This spring biasing force acts in a direction to reduce the distance between the movable terminal 29 and the fixed terminal 27. As shown in FIG. 9, a holding rib 12a is protruded from the inner surface of the cover 12 so that the single lever 25 does not rise from the base plate 21. The single lever 25 is fixed so that one of the fixed terminals 27 can be inserted into the cam receiving portion 25c which comes into contact with the cam surface 33a which is an inclined surface of the cam body 33c described later. It has a square window 32 provided between the ribs 30.

The operation member 33 has a cam body 33 c and a button portion 33 b exposed through a button hole 18 outside the outlet housing 1. Kambo The disk 33c has a cam surface 33a, which is an inclined surface formed so that the cam body 33c is tapered away from the button portion 33b, and a stop projection 33d described later. The cam surface 33 a contacts the cam receiving portion 25 c of the lever 25. The tip of the cam body 33c is connected to the receiving rib 38 of the link body 35 through the cutout window 22 of the base plate 21.

The pushing member 37 is composed of a rod 41 having a ball 40 at one end and a return spring 42 such as a coil panel having an inside diameter into which the rod can be inserted. A part of the ball 40 is held in the ball receiving groove 39 of the link body. The tip of the mouth 41, which is the end opposite to the ball 40, can protrude from an insertion hole 17 provided between the slot 16 of the cover 12. The return spring 42 is held between the lower surface of the base plate 21 and the ball 40, as shown in FIG.

In the outlet having the above-described configuration, when an external force is applied so as to push the button portion 3 3b into the outlet, the cam receiving portion of the single lever 25 is formed.

25c is pushed by the cam surface 33a, and the single lever 25 rotates counterclockwise against the biasing force of the holding spring 26 as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 8A. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8B, the movable terminal 29 attached to the single lever 25 moves in a direction to increase the distance from the fixed terminal 27 fixed to the base plate 21. At this time, the blade holding force for holding the plug blade between the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29 is reduced, so that the plug can be easily pulled out with a small force.

By pressing the button 3 3 b, the receiving rib of the link body 3 5

The end having 38 is pushed down by the tip of the cam body 33c, and the end of the link having the ball receiving groove 39 is pushed up. By the seesaw movement of the link body, the tip of the mouth 41 projects outside through the through hole 28 of the base plate 21 and the through hole 17 of the cover 12. as a result, The plug is pushed out of the outlet by the projection of the mouth 41. As described above, the push operation of the button portion 33b reduces the blade pinching force, so that the plug can be pushed out with a small force. When the button 33b is not pressed, the tip of the rod 41 does not protrude from the front surface of the cover 12, but is retracted into the insertion hole 17 (FIG. 9).

As shown in Fig. 9, the operating member 33 is attached so as not to be loose by the guide cylinder 34 and the stepped portion 20 extending from the periphery of the button hole 18 of the cover 12 to the 內 side of the cover 12 Is done. Further, the operation is performed by locking a projection (not shown) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the guide cylinder 34 and a projection (not shown) provided on the cam body 33 c of the operation member 33. The member 33 is prevented from falling out of the outlet housing 1.

In this embodiment, when the plug P is removed by pressing the button portion 33b of the operating member, the button portion 33b is kept pressed into the button hole 18. As described above, the stopper projection 33 d is provided on one surface of the cam body 33 c. The stopper projection 33d is engaged with the opening edge of the guide cylinder 34 of the cover 12 when the button part 33b is pushed in. Therefore, when the button part 33 b is pushed in, the tip of the rod 41 is kept in a state of protruding from the outlet housing 1. When plug P is reinserted, the force is transmitted to link body 35 by pushing rod 41 back by plug P, and the engaging state of operating member 33 by the stud projection 3 3d is released, and the button part is released. 3 3 b returns to its original position. Other configurations and operations are the same as in the first embodiment.

Third embodiment

The outlet according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 10, 11A and 11B. In the second embodiment, the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29 are substantially arranged on the same circumference around the rotation center (the shaft pin 23 a) of the lever 25. As shown in FIG. 10, it is characterized in that the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29 are substantially arranged in the radial direction of an arc centered on the rotation center of the lever 25. The other configuration is basically the same as that of the second embodiment, and the description is omitted.

In the outlet of the present embodiment having the above characteristics, when the button 33b of the operation member 33 is pressed, the lever 25 rotates clockwise as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 11A. This rotation causes the movable terminal 29 attached to the lever 25 to move with respect to the fixed terminal 27 fixed to the base plate 21 as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 11B. The change in the distance between the movable terminal and the movable terminal 29 is small. In the present embodiment, the pinching force of the plug is adjusted by changing the facing positional relationship between the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal 29. In other words, the pinching force can be reduced by shifting the position of the movable terminal 29 with respect to the fixed terminal 27. Therefore, when the lever 25 is rotated around the shaft pin 23a, the distance between the fixed terminal 27 and the movable terminal is reduced so that the pinching force does not increase. It is placed at a position above lever 25. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the second embodiment.

The configuration of this embodiment can be used when the plug blade of the plug is flat. Therefore, if the plug blade has three poles, two of which are flat blades and the other one is a contact pin with a round cross section (for example, for single-phase two-wire and grounded) The case with poles) can be dealt with by adopting the configuration of the present embodiment for the flat blade and the configuration of the second embodiment for the contact pin.

Fourth embodiment In each of the above-described embodiments, the mode in which the movable terminal 29 is moved with respect to the fixed terminal 27 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 12, both of the pair of terminals holding each plug blade of the plug are used. A movable structure may be employed. That is, the first movable terminal 29 is attached to the first lever 25, and the second movable terminal 27 is attached to the second lever 44. The first lever and the second lever have insertion holes 25b and 44b, respectively, for inserting shaft pins (not shown) serving as rotation centers.

In this configuration, since both terminals 27 and 29 are movable, fixed terminals 45 for connecting electric wires are separately provided, and one of the second movable terminals 27 is connected as shown in FIG. Part is fixed to the fixed terminal 45. Also, cam surfaces 33a are formed on both sides of the cam body 33c of the operation member 33 so that both the first and second levers 25, 44 can be rotated when the operation member 33 is pressed. It is formed. The second movable terminal 27 is inserted into a holding hole 44 a provided in the second lever 44, and is held by a fixing rib 46 provided on the lower surface of the second lever 44. The second lever 44 has a cam receiving portion 44c with which the cam surface 33a of the operating member 33 contacts. Further, the second lever 44 has an insertion window 44d through which a rod (not shown) of an extruding member is inserted between the holding holes 44a.

In the outlet having the above-described configuration, when the operating member 33 is pressed, the first lever 25 rotates clockwise around the shaft pin, and the second lever 44 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft pin. I do. As a result, the space between the first movable terminal 29 and the second movable terminal 27 increases as indicated by the arrow in FIG. According to the configuration of the present embodiment, there is an advantage that the amount of change in the interval between terminals can be increased as compared with the amount of pressing of the operation member 33. Other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

In the example of FIG. 12, the cam body 3 3 is similar to the first and second embodiments. Although a configuration is adopted in which the distance between the terminals increases when c is pushed in, the plug is changed by changing the facing relationship between the first movable terminal 29 and the second movable terminal 27, as in the third embodiment. Also good as a configuration to adjust the blade clamping force.

Fifth embodiment

In the first embodiment, the spring forces of the springs 26 and 47 acting on the first lever 25 and the second lever 44 reduce the distance between the movable terminal 29 and the fixed terminal 27. In this embodiment, when the button 3 3 b of the operating member 33 is not pressed, the spring force acts in a direction to reduce the distance between the movable terminal 29 and the fixed terminal 27. When the button 3 3 b is pressed, the reversing springs 49 a and 49 b are pressed so that the spring force acts in the direction to increase the distance between the movable terminal 29 and the fixed terminal 27. It is characterized by the arrangement of That is, as shown in FIG. 14, one end of the reversing springs 49a, 49b is held by the first lever 25 and one end of the second lever 44, and the other end of the reversing spring is connected to the body. 11 It is held on the inner surface of the side wall. At this time, the reversing spring is held so as to be in a pressurized state.

In this embodiment, a pair of projections 35 d is provided at one end of the link 35. The projection 35d has an inclined surface 35c which is inclined so as to taper toward the upper end. One of the inclined surfaces 35c faces the one cam surface 33a of the operation member 33 via the first lever 25, and the other of the inclined surfaces 35c is the second lever 44. Opposes the other cam surface 33a via the.

In the outlet having the above-described configuration, when the button portion 3 3b of the operating member 33 is pressed to remove the plug from the outlet, the cam body 33c moves straight down, and the first and the third are moved by the cam surface 33a. The second lever 2 5 and 4 4 are moved. That is, when the first lever 25 is around the shaft pin 23a The counter-clockwise rotation causes the second lever 44 to rotate counterclockwise around the shaft pin. The blade clamping force is reduced by the rotation of these levers. For example, the first lever 25 moves to a first position indicated by a dotted line in FIG. At this time, since the spring force of the return spring 49 b acts on the first lever 25 in the direction of the first position (right), the first lever can be moved to the first position with a small force. A similar effect can be obtained by using the second lever 44 and the return spring 49b. Therefore, in the outlet of the present embodiment, the force required to press the button 33b by the squeeze of the return springs 49a and 49b can be reduced.

Also, when the rod (not shown) of the pushing member is pushed back into the outlet housing to insert the plug into the outlet, the link body 35 moves in a straight line, and the first surface is inclined by the inclined surface 35c. And the second levers 25, 44 are moved. That is, the first lever 25 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft pin 23a, and the second lever 44 rotates clockwise around the shaft pin. The blade pinching force is increased by the rotation of these levers. For example, the first lever 25 moves to the second position (left) shown by the solid line in FIG. At this time, since the spring force of the return spring 49a acts on the first lever in the direction of the second position (left), the first lever can be moved to the second position with a small force. The same effect can be obtained by using the second lever 44 and the return spring 49b. Therefore, in the outlet of this embodiment, the force of inserting the plug into the outlet can be reduced by the spring force of the return springs 49a and 49b.

In other words, by setting the position where the spring length of the reversing spring 49 b becomes the shortest at an intermediate position between the first position and the second position shown in FIG. 15, the cam body 33 c is pushed in. In this case, the first lever 25 moves beyond the intermediate position to the first position (right), and the spring force of the reversing spring 49 b acts rightward. When 2 5 receives power, The first lever 25 moves beyond the intermediate position to the second position (left), and the spring force of the reversing spring 49 b acts leftward. With the second lever 44 and the reversing spring 49a, substantially the same operation as described above can be obtained. If such a so-called snap function is used, the operability of the outlet is improved, and it is not necessary to provide a stumper for holding the position of the link body 35 ahead.

In Embodiments 1 to 5 described above, the outlet is directly mounted on the wall or the outlet is used as a table tab, but the outlet housing having a different shape is used if it is embedded in the wall. It is also possible to do so. Industrial applicability

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the outlet of this invention, while connecting a plug and an outlet, a plug blade can be firmly hold | maintained with a comparatively large clamping force like before, so that a plug may not fall out carelessly. When removing the plug from the outlet, the plugging force is reduced by a simple operation and the plug is pushed out of the outlet by the push-out member. It provides an innovative outlet that can be easily pulled out, and is suitable for use not only in office buildings and ordinary households, but also in various facilities such as hospitals, schools, nursing homes, etc. The nature is wide.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. An outlet for a plug having a plurality of contacts includes the following configuration: an outlet housing having a slot for passing the contacts; contact receiving means for receiving the contacts; Including two pairs of receiving pieces, each pair being arranged to hold one of said contacts between said receiving pieces;

Opening / closing means for changing the distance between the receiving pieces of each pair, the opening / closing means, a lever to which at least one of the receiving pieces of each pair is connected and rotatably supported in the outlet housing; A panel member for applying a spring bias in a direction to increase a holding force for holding the contact between the receiving pieces of each pair;

Operating means for operating the opening / closing means against the holding force, the operating means having an operating portion accessible by a user from the outside of the outlet housing, the operating means being a cam which moves straight by operating the operating portion; The cam has an inclined surface used to convert a straight movement of the cam into a rotational movement of the lever in a direction to weaken the holding force;

An extruding member protruding outward from the outlet housing at a connection surface between the outlet housing and the plug; and

A link body for projecting the pushing member from the outlet housing in conjunction with the rectilinear movement of the cam.

2. The outlet according to claim 1,

The link body is capable of seesaw movement in an outlet housing. The tip of the cam is pressed against one end of the link body, and the pushing member is rotatably connected to the other end of the link body.

3. The outlet according to claim 1,

The contact receiving means has two pairs of receiving pieces substantially arranged on the same circumference around the center of rotation of the lever, and when the operating means is operated by a user, The lever rotates in conjunction with the straight movement of the cam so that the distance between the receiving pieces of each pair increases.

4. The outlet according to claim 1,

The contact receiving means has two pairs of receiving pieces substantially arranged in a radial direction of an arc centered on the rotation center of the lever, and when the operating means is operated by a user, The lever rotates in a direction to shift the facing position of the receiving piece of each bay in conjunction with the rectilinear movement of the cam.