The present invention relates to an electrical switch, in particular, an in-line switch for installing or retrofitting to a power cord of an electrical appliance.
In-line switches are widely known and used in electrical appliances, for example, desk lamps, to provide connection or interruption of electrical current to the electrical appliance. Typically, an in-line switch is electrically connected to a power cord of the electrical appliance. However, it remains a concern with the prior art in-line switches that preparatory work on the power cord, for example, stripping the cord to expose the wire leads, will be required before connecting to the in-line switch. Another drawback of the prior art in-line switches would be the complication resulting from having to manually mount the conductive cores of the power cord and assemble the in-line switch, in which technical skills and tools are often required to complete the installation. Yet another shortcoming associated with the prior art in-line switches is that these in-line switches are designed to only accept specific size of electrical wires to be connected. A need therefore exists for an in-line switch that is simple and safe to install, yet can be used with electrical wires of different sizes, within a limited size range.
The present invention seeks to address the problems or at least alleviates the aforementioned drawbacks by providing an improved in-line switch assembly comprising:
a housing having a first housing part and a second housing part attachable together to form the housing;
two ports at different parts of the housing for insertion of an end of a power cord into the housing;
a conductor provided in each of the ports, each conductor having a piercing part;
a switching mechanism provided between the conductors of the respective ports for making and breaking electrical connection between the conductors; and
a connection mechanism provided in each of the ports and adapted to receive an end of a power cord, operable to cause piercing of the piercing part through a sheath of the power cord and then electrical contact with a conductive core of the power cord,
wherein the housing is configured to undergo from a first state in which the first and second housing parts are partially attached together, thereby allowing insertion of an end of a power cord through each of the ports to the respective connection mechanism, to a second state in which the first and second housing parts are fully attached together, with an inserted end of a said power cord being acted upon by the connection mechanism.
In one embodiment, the piercing part forms as an extension to the conductor.
In another embodiment, a positioning portion is provided in each of the ports, and is adapted to restrict lateral movement of the inserted end of a said power cord.
In one embodiment, the positioning portion comprises a recess having a cross-section profile substantially complementary to a cross-section profile of the power cord.
Preferably, the recess is a U-shape channel having a center rib extending longitudinally.
In one embodiment, the connection mechanism comprises a plurality of pressing members arranged along a length of the inserted end of a said power cord.
In another embodiment, the connection mechanism comprises a plurality of gripping members, configured to apply pressure on the end of a said power cord during the second state.
Preferably, the pressing members are oppositely and alternatively arranged on the first housing part and the second housing part.
More preferably, serrations are provided on each of the plurality of gripping members.
In one embodiment, the piercing part comprises at least one piercing portion configured to cause the sheath of the power cord to be pierced.
Preferably, an aligning member is provided and configured to provide a biasing force to cause a wire within the power cord to abut against the center rib.
In an embodiment, in the first state the first housing part is slidably movable with respect to the second housing part through a slidable engagement between a plurality of snap hooks arranged on the second housing part and a plurality of complementary elongated slots arranged on the first housing part.
In another embodiment, in the second state the first housing part is secured to the second housing part by an interference fit formed between a plurality of protrusions arranged on the first housing part and a plurality of complementary apertures arranged on the second housing part.
Preferably, a guard member is provided for each of the ports for blocking the end of a said power cord from reaching further to the switching mechanism.
In one embodiment, the power cord is a twin-lead power cord.
In another embodiment, a divider is arranged in the positioning portion for separating a live wire and a neutral wire within the positioning portion.
In one embodiment, in the first state the first housing part is slidably movable with respect to the second housing part along a direction of coupling.
In another embodiment, the ports are positioned opposite each other.
In yet another embodiment, the in-line switch is a double-pole single throw switch.
In one embodiment, the switching mechanism comprises one of the following switches: a rocker switch, a tactile switch, a push-button switch, a slide switch or a rotary switch.
The present invention will now be described more specifically by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
The following clearly and completely describes the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Apparently, the described embodiments are merely some but not all of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments based on the embodiments of the present invention and obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without investing creative efforts shall fall within the scope of the present invention.
Referring to
Generally, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the in-line switch assembly 100 includes a switch housing 110, 120 comprising a first housing part and a second housing part, in this exemplary embodiment, an upper housing 120 and a lower housing 110. The switching assembly further includes a switching mechanism 130, for example, a rocker switch. The switching mechanism can be accessible by the user through a cut-out provided on the switch housing 110, 120. Basically, the switch housing 110, 120 serve to enclose various internal components which will be discussed in details in the following.
As shown in
Specifically, the end of power cord 10 receivable in each of the ports 103 is a twin-wire type power cord, as shown in
As
Advantageously, a guard member 114 is provided for each of the ports 103. The guard member 114 essentially serves to limit the insertion length of the power cord 10 into the port 103. As specifically shown in
Referring to
As shown, there can be more than one piercing part 107 positioned along the axial length of the power cord 10 within each of the ports 103. In this example of a double-pole in-line switch, there are provided two piercing parts 107 for each of the two conductors 105. Advantageously, the piercing parts 107 are supported by at least one supporting member 109 to help maintain an upright position for maximizing piercing effect on the power cord 10.
In an alternative embodiment, the positioning portion 111 is provided with an elevated center rib 213 that protrudes upwardly and divides the positioning portion 111 into two partitions, each for the live wire 12 and the neutral wire 13, as shown in
In a more preferred alternative embodiment as shown in
Each of the aligning members 117 may be an individual component configured for different sizes of power cord to be received in the positioning portion 111. In an embodiment, the aligning members 117 of a different configuration (i.e., with biasing arms 118 of a different length) may be installed in order for the in-line switch assembly to accept a power cord of a specific type or size, or a range of slightly different sizes, while maintaining each of the wires 12, 13 in the respective positions for the connection mechanism 101 to engage. With the live wire 12 and the neutral wire 13 being biased against the elevated center rib 213, the wires would less likely be displaced when being pressed against the positioning portion 111 by the pressing members 121 as the connection mechanism 101 engages. As a result, the precision of wire piercing can be optimized.
Moving on to
The principle of the connection mechanism 101 will be described in the following. The connection mechanism 101 essentially includes the positioning portion 111, the pressing members 121, and the piercing part 107. Basically, the connection mechanism 101 operates in an unengaged state in which the end of the power cord 10 is insertable into the positioning portion 111, and an engaged state in which the end of the power cord 10 is pierced and secured in the port 103. In the engaged state, the ends of the power cord 10 are both electrically and mechanically connected with the in-line switch assembly.
The connection mechanism 101 engages when the upper housing 120 is pressed toward the lower housing 110, with a power cord inserted and positioned in the positioning portion 111 in each of the ports 103. On the upper housing 120, there are provided two pressing members 121 positioned in alignment with the positioning portion 111 on the lower housing 110, such that when the upper housing 120 is pressed against the lower housing 110, the pressing member 121 would exert a pressure on the power cord 10 inserted therein against the positioning portion 111, thereby forcing the piercing parts 107 to cause piercing of the piercing part through the sheaths of the power cord 10. Further movement of the upper housing 120 toward the lower housing 110 would eventually cause the piercing portions 108 to pierce through the outer sheath 11 and the inner sheath 121, 13a of the power cord 10 and make contact with the respective conductive cores of the live and neutral wires 12, 13.
Advantageously, a number of gripping members 122 are provided immediate the opening of the port 103 where the powers cord 10 passes through. The gripping members 122 are provided on both the upper housing 120 and the lower housing 110, and are arranged in an alternative fashion as shown in
According to the present invention, the switch housing 110, 120 is configured to undergo a two-state engagement process, providing a simple, reliable, and tool-less installation of the in-line switch to a power cord. In a first state as shown in
The movable engagement between the snap hooks 115 and the elongated slots 125 allows the upper housing 120 to be slidably movable relative to the lower housing 110 to a certain extent. The elongated slots 125 provide a guiding effect for the snap hooks 115 to slidably move therein, at the same time, maintaining the required alignment between the two housings 110, 120 when being attached together. Furthermore, during the first state, a certain amount of play is provided between the pressing members 121 and the positioning portion 111, allowing the end of the power cord 10 to be insertable into each of the ports 103 and aligned with positioning portion 111. This can simplify the insertion and positioning of the end of the power cord within the port 103 by eliminating the need of taking apart the in-line switch assembly 100 (i.e., completely separating the upper housing 120 from the lower housing 110).
The upper housing 120 and the lower housing 110 are further provided with fastening pairs 116, 126. The fastening pairs 116, 126 provide a secure coupling between the two housings 110, 120 during the second state. As shown in
Referring to
For a person skilled in the art, the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or basic features of the present invention. Therefore, the above embodiments should be considered as exemplary and non-limiting.
In addition, it should be understood that although the specification is described in terms of embodiments, not every embodiment includes only a single technical solution. This description of the specification is merely for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in the embodiments can also be combined appropriately to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art. However, the protection scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and it is therefore intended that all changes that fall within the meaning and scope of equivalency of the claims are included in the present invention and any reference signs in the claims should not be regarded as limiting the involved claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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HK19131535.7 | Oct 2019 | HK | national |
HK32020001322.7 | Jan 2020 | HK | national |