Patent Application
20240283188
The present disclosure generally relates to electrical power outlets, and more particularly relates to an electrical power outlet having a tamper resistant layer, particularly for use in a vehicle, for example.
Motor vehicles are increasingly equipped with electrical power outlets for powering and charging electronic devices. Both direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) power outlets can be found on motor vehicles. DC power from the vehicle battery may be converted with an inverter to AC power. It may be desirable to provide for a power outlet that is tamper resistant.
According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, an electrical power outlet is provided. The electrical power outlet includes a housing, a faceplate having a plurality of slots configured to receive a plurality of prongs on an electrical plug, a plurality of electrical terminals configured to receive the plurality of prongs to provide electrical connections, and a flexible cover disposed between the plurality of slots and the plurality of terminals, the flexible cover having a plurality of slits configured to receive the plurality of prongs in an open position and for covering access to the plurality of terminals in a closed position.
Embodiments of the first aspect of the present disclosure can include any one or a combination of the following features:
According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, an electrical power outlet is provided. The electrical power outlet includes a housing, a faceplate having a plurality of slots configured to receive a plurality of prongs on an electrical plug, and a plurality of electrical terminals configured to receive the plurality of prongs to provide electrical connections. The electrical power outlet also includes a flexible cover disposed between the plurality of slots and the plurality of terminals, the flexible cover having a plurality of slits configured to receive the plurality of prongs in an open position and for covering access to the plurality of terminals in a closed position, and a switch coupled to a first electrical terminal of the plurality of electrical terminals to detect the connection of a first prong to the first electrical terminals, wherein the switch activates electrical power supplied to the plurality of prongs when the switch detects connection of the first prong to the first electrical terminal. The electrical power outlet further includes a circuit board, wherein the plurality of electrical terminals are mounted on the circuit board and the switch is aligned to be engaged with the first electrical terminal, wherein the switch is coupled to the circuit board, and a light source configured to illuminate a region proximate the faceplate when the switch detects connection of the first prong to the first electrical terminal.
According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is provided including an electrical power source, power lines receiving electrical power from the electrical power source, and an electrical power outlet coupled to the power lines. The electrical power outlet including a housing, a faceplate having a plurality of slots configured to receive a plurality of prongs on an electrical plug, a plurality of electrical terminals configured to receive the plurality of prongs to provide electrical connections, and a flexible cover disposed between the plurality of slots and the plurality of terminals, the flexible cover having a plurality of slits configured to receive the plurality of prongs in an open position and for covering access to the plurality of terminals in a closed position.
Embodiments of the third aspect of the present disclosure can include any one or a combination of the following features:
These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present disclosure will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
In the drawings:
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. In the drawings, the depicted structural elements are not to scale and certain components are enlarged relative to the other components for purposes of emphasis and understanding.
As required, detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the disclosure that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to a detailed design; some schematics may be exaggerated or minimized to show function overview. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure.
For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the concepts as oriented in
The present illustrated embodiments reside primarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus components related to an electrical power outlet and a vehicle having an electrical power outlet. Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps have been represented, where appropriate, by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Further, like numerals in the description and drawings represent like elements.
As used herein, the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listed items, can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination.
In this document, relational terms, such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like, are used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action, without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
As used herein, the term “about” means that amounts, sizes, formulations, parameters, and other quantities and characteristics are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller, as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the art. When the term “about” is used in describing a value or an end-point of a range, the disclosure should be understood to include the specific value or end-point referred to. Whether or not a numerical value or end-point of a range in the specification recites “about,” the numerical value or end-point of a range is intended to include two embodiments: one modified by “about,” and one not modified by “about.” It will be further understood that the end-points of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other end-point, and independently of the other end-point.
The terms “substantial,” “substantially,” and variations thereof as used herein are intended to note that a described feature is equal or approximately equal to a value or description. For example, a “substantially planar” surface is intended to denote a surface that is planar or approximately planar. Moreover, “substantially” is intended to denote that two values are equal or approximately equal. In some embodiments, “substantially” may denote values within about 10% of each other, such as within about 5% of each other, or within about 2% of each other.
As used herein the terms “the,” “a,” or “an,” mean “at least one,” and should not be limited to “only one” unless explicitly indicated to the contrary. Thus, for example, reference to “a component” includes embodiments having two or more such components unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Referring to
It should be appreciated that the motor vehicle 10 may be a wheeled motor vehicle, such as a car, truck, SUV, bus, van or other vehicle. According to other examples, the motor vehicle 10 may be an aircraft, a boat, or other motor vehicle. The motor vehicle 10 may have a motor, such as an internal combustion engine or an electrical motor or both, according to a few examples. The motor vehicle 10 has an electrical power source 18, which is shown as a battery. It should be appreciated that one or more batteries supplying electrical power may be provided on the motor vehicle 10. The electrical power may be in the form of a direct current (DC) voltage such as a 12-volt battery. It should also be appreciated that the motor vehicle 10 may include inverter circuitry 98 for converting the DC voltage to an alternating current (AC) voltage and power lines 90A-90C for supplying the AC electrical power output to one or more electrical power outlets.
The motor vehicle 10 is shown equipped with one or more electrical power outlets 20 for supplying the AC electrical power to one or more plug-in devices. In the embodiment shown, a pair of electrical power outlets 20 are shown located on the rear facing wall of the rear end of the center console 16 and are made available for passengers generally seated rearward of the front row of seating to plug-in an electrical plug 100 associated with one or more electrically-powered devices such as a phone, a computer, a speaker or any electrically-powered devices. It should further be appreciated that one or more electrical power outlets 20 may be located elsewhere on the motor vehicle 10 such as forward of the center console, within the center console 16 or within other areas that are accessible to one or more passengers in the motor vehicle 10 to supply power to one or more electrical powered devices. It should further be appreciated that the electrical power outlet 20 as shown and described herein may be used on a motor vehicle or off a vehicle, such as within a home environment, according to other embodiments.
The electrical power outlet 20 is illustrated in
Disposed proximate to the faceplate 24 and configured around a periphery of the faceplate 24 is a light ring area 26 which is generally formed by an open region that receives and illuminates light from a light source 48 emitted into a receiver 54 on the back side of the faceplate 24. The light ring area 26 may be illuminated when the electrical prongs on an electrical plug extend into the receptacle outlet slots 30A-30C and make an electrical connection with electrical terminals inside of the electrical power outlet 20. As such, the light ring area 26 provides a light ring which serves as an indication that a plug-in device has been connected to the electrical power outlet and is energized to supply electrical power from the power source.
The electrical power outlet 20 further includes a plurality of electrical terminals 40A-40C which are further illustrated in
Also provided on the printed circuit board 52 is a lighting device 48 shown as a light-emitting diode (LED). The lighting device 48 generally extend forward proximate to the faceplate 24 and when activated emits light within the light ring area 26. As such, an illuminated light ring is provided around the periphery of the faceplate 24. In addition, a mechanical switch 46 is disposed on the printed circuit board 52 and is aligned with one of the electrical terminals 40A-40C. As such, the switch 46 is aligned to receive and make physical contact with a first prong of the electrical plug when the electrical plug is fully plugged into the electrical power outlet 20. In the example shown, a first prong 102B of the electrical plug 100 may extend through slot 30B, opening 44B and make contact with a first electrical terminal 40B. In doing so, the first prong 102B will forcibly engage the switch 46 and mechanically depress the switch 46 to change state as an indication that an electrical plug is connected to the electrical power outlet 20. With the switch 46 is engaged by a prong, electrical power is supplied to the electrical terminals 40A-40C to supply power to an electrically-powered device via the electrical plug 100. In addition, the lighting device 48 is illuminated to illuminate the light ring area 26 to indicate that the electrical power outlet 20 is powered or providing status of the plug depending on the configuration given.
The housing 22 includes both the external front bezel 22A which connects with the rear internal bezel 22B. To make the connection, a plurality of flexible fingers 50B provided on the rear internal bezel 22B are configured to engage tabs 50A on the front exterior bezel 22A to connect and hold the housing assembled together and to contain the parts therein.
With particular reference to
The flexible cover 32 may be made of a thin flexible material which may include a polymeric material such as plastic or rubber, for example, and has a sufficiently thin thickness to allow the membrane to flex between open and closed positions during insertion or removal of the plug. In the example shown, the slits 34A-34C generally include an I-shape slit with an elongated vertical slit extending between upper and lower horizontal sits are seen in
With reference to
Referring to
In this embodiment, a light transparent optical ring 60 is disposed proximate the light ring area 26 to provide a luminescent illumination in the light ring area 26 extending around the faceplate 24. The light source 48 is aligned to backlight the light transparent optical ring 60. The optical ring 60 may include an optically transparent material such as diffuse light pipe that illuminates a ring of light when illuminated by a light source 48 onto a receiver 54 on the back side of the optical ring 60. The optical material may include glass having diffuse light properties.
Referring to
Accordingly, the electrical power outlet 20 advantageously provides for a flexible cover 32 disposed between the plurality of receptacle outlet slots and the plurality of terminals and arranged with a plurality of slits configured to receive the plurality of prongs of the electrical plug for covering the plurality of terminals to prevent contaminants from entering the electrical power outlet 20 and tampering of the electrical power outlet 20.
It is to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structure without departing from the concepts of the present disclosure, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.
