The present invention relates to a receptacle having at least one electrical outlet, and more particularly, is directed to an electrical outlet that senses the ambient temperature, the receptacle temperature and the temperature of a prong of an electrical plug inserted into the outlet, and that automatically shuts off when any of these temperatures is too hot, and has a reset button for resuming operation.
Many fires are believed to be caused by overloaded electrical outlets, that is, outlets operated with more power transfer than the outlet was designed for. Fires are sometimes caused by a loose connection, a glowing connection and/or a high resistance path. A glowing connection occurs when copper oxide is formed between a copper wire and a steel screw in a small air gap creating carbon which glows.
The condition of too much power usage is always accompanied by increased temperature in at least one of the ambient temperature, the receptacle temperature and the temperature of a prong of an electrical plug inserted into the receptacle, collectively referred to herein as “operating temperature”. To avoid fires, it is desirable for the outlet to sense when the operating temperature is too hot, and to cease operation.
Bimetallic switches are electromechanical thermal sensors. The bimetallic or bi-metal portion consists of two different metals bonded together such as brass and Invar. Some bimetallic portions consist of three layers sandwiched together. The metals expand at different rates as they warm, causing the element to twist or curve. The changing geometry is used to make or break an electrical contact. Once temperature has returned to normal levels, they revert back to their original geometry.
For a bi-metal comprising brass and invar, the bending occurs at a metal temperature of about 200° F.; the actual temperature threshold is determined by the design of the bimetal and its materials. The metal can be heated by a loose connection or by ambient air temperature. Typical plastic household wiring insulation and outlet housing melts at a temperature of about 300° F. but operation above 200° F. is not recommended due to its high probability of material distortion.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,618 (Robertson) discloses an outlet having a bimetallic dome that interrupts electrical contact when the temperature rises above a predetermined threshold.
The Robertson configuration has several drawbacks. First, a bimetallic dome is associated with each of the outlets in a duplex receptacle, increasing the cost of the receptacle. Second, the dielectric rod is positioned such that the faceplate of the receptacle must be removed to access the dielectric rod, which is inconvenient. Also, the location of the dielectric rod makes it impossible to quickly see that it has tripped. Third, as the bimetallic dome cools below its operating threshold, it can reset itself back to its original configuration. This automatic resetting can be dangerous to a person working around the outlet; in particular, a worker can be electrocuted by the sudden resumption of current. Fourth, although one outlet of a duplex outlet may be tripped, the other outlet will continue functioning, implying to a casual observer that the first outlet is dead rather than tripped, which could result in worker electrocution.
The Robertson patent also discloses another embodiment, shown in
Once the temperature has increased to the triggering threshold of the receptacle, it is desirable for an electrician to examine the environment of the receptacle to determine the source of the unusual heat. That is, after the receptacle has been triggered to its non-conducting state, it should remain in its non-conducting state forever, to force examination of its environment.
Thus, there is a need for an outlet that is sensitive to heat and avoids undesirable operation.
In accordance with an aspect of this invention, there is provided an electrical receptacle including a live terminal having a first contact, a power interruption device with a bimetallic portion having a second contact that electrically contacts the first contact in a normal operating state, and a resettable arm for preventing the first contact from touching the second contact when the power interruption device is in a tripped state, wherein, after the power interruption device is in its tripped state, it is unable to return to its normal operating state.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the bimetallic portion is dish-shaped. The resettable arm is attached to an overload button that indicates when the receptacle reaches a temperature threshold. The electrical receptacle also includes a faceplate, and the overload button extends outward from the faceplate while in the tripped state. Generally, the overload button visually indicates when the electrical receptacle is in a tripped state. The electrical receptacle also includes a spring that pushes the resettable arm between the first contact and the second contact when the electrical receptacle enters the tripped state.
It is not intended that the invention be summarized here in its entirety. Rather, further features, aspects and advantages of the invention are set forth in or are apparent from the following description and drawings.
An electrical receptacle senses its operating temperature and automatically turns off when the temperature rises above a predetermined threshold. The receptacle has a button that visually indicates when the receptacle has reached its temperature threshold. After automatically turning off, the receptacle remains permanently non-conducting.
Aperture 100 is located between the top outlet and the bottom outlet.
As shown in
As shown in
The receptacle package shown in
The present invention and the bimetallic device described in the '374 application function in the same way in their untripped (normal operating) states: a spring pushes a button (overload button or reset button) and a housing against the contact on the bimetallic member; the bimetallic member stops the button from moving up. In the normal operating state, the contact on the bimetallic member and the contact on the feed terminal assembly are in electrical contact.
The present invention and the '374 bimetallic device also function in the same way going from their untripped to tripped states: when the bimetallic member flexes (activates), the spring is allowed to push the button and housing to their tripped position, electrically isolating the contact on the bimetallic member from the contact on the feed terminal subassembly.
The present invention and the '374 bimetallic device differ in that, when in the tripped state, pressing down on the overload button does not affect the housing in the present invention, whereas in the '374 bimetallic device, pressing down on the reset button pushes down the housing so that the contacts on the bimetallic member and the feed terminal subassembly re-engage, and the receptacle returns to its normal operating state.
In the United States, a 240 volt plug has two hot legs each having 120 volts. In Europe, a 240 volt plug has one neutral leg and one hot leg having 240 volts. Accordingly, for a United States 240 volt plug, a single bimetal thermal interrupt must be configured to open the contacts corresponding to both of the hot legs, or a bimetal thermal interrupt must be associated with each of the hot legs.
The operation of bridge 119 and insulator 121 is described below with respect to
The neutral, live and ground blades of a three-prong plug are inserted through slots 16A, 17A, 18A of
The present invention has various advantages. There is only one bimetallic device per duplex receptacle, reducing the cost of thermal overload protection. The overload button is positioned so that it is easy to see when the device has tripped. The device cannot reset under any circumstances.
The present invention has been described with respect to a duplex receptacle. In another embodiment, the present invention is applied in a wall adapter outlet. Specifically, a portable unit having duplex outlets with thermal interrupt protection is plugged into a wall receptacle having duplex outlets lacking thermal interrupt protection.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention is applied in a power strip comprising a plurality of receptacles, the power strip being plugged into a standard outlet. The power strip has one bimetallic subassembly for all of its receptacles. If the power strip is long, a sensor and relay are provided so that the bimetallic subassembly can react to operating temperatures throughout the power strip.
Most households include ground fault interrupt (GFI) electrical receptacles in areas that are moist, such as bathrooms. A ground fault is an unintended leakage of current to ground, possibly through a person. The regular grounding system protects the equipment that is attached (or plugged in) to the circuit against a ground fault in it. GFI devices are designed to protect people, not equipment.
A GFI receptacle shuts down the protected electric circuit—opens it—when it senses an unexpected loss of power, to ground. GFI protection devices constantly monitor and compare the amount of power flowing from the panel on the hot or phase wire and the amount returning on the neutral wire. Any time the current on the hot leg and the neutral leg are unequal, the protection device will trip and open the circuit. GFI devices work by passing both the hot wire and the neutral wire through a sensor such as a differential transformer and connecting the sensor to a solenoid or relay that opens switch contacts built into the power conductors inside the device—in front of the transformer. When it is working properly, a GFI device will open its protected circuit when the difference between the current coming in and the current going out reaches 0.005 ampere.
A GFI receptacle typically has a reset button. Due to its elaborate circuitry, a GFI receptacle is substantially more expensive than a regular receptacle.
The present temperature sensing features could be added to a GFI receptacle.
Although an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, and various modifications thereof, have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise embodiment and the described modifications, and that various changes and further modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/088,374, HEAT SENSING ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE, filed Mar. 25, 2005, having a common inventor and a common assignee herewith, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60556195 | Mar 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11088374 | Mar 2005 | US |
Child | 11243685 | Oct 2005 | US |