Patent Grant
8382493
This application claims priority to PCT Patent Application No. PCT/CH2009/000204 filed on Jun. 16, 2009 and Swiss Patent Application No. 923/08 filed on Jun. 17, 2008, the entirety of each of which is incorporated by this reference.
The invention relates to an adapter set with a plug part and a three-pole multi-way mains plug comprising three-pole plug contacts, which is equipped with pins of different mains plug standards and a plug socket, and a plug for plugging into the plug socket.
A two-pole multi-way mains plug with pins which can be pushed out is known from WO 02/063722. The latter in each case has, in a housing, two contact pins of a Euro plug contact with a Euro plug-in body which can be pushed out, a US plug contact, an AU plug contact and a UK plug contact with an opener. This known mains plug is provided with a plug socket, in which a plug socket part with a multi-way plug socket can be plugged. The plug socket part has plug-in receptacles for the two pins of a Euro plug, a US plug, an AU plug and three plug-in receptacles for the pins and the opener of a UK plug. The plug socket part is equipped with special pins, which cannot be plugged into any standard plug socket, but only into the plug socket of the multi-way mains plug.
The two part nature of the set allows the set to be supplemented by a voltage converter or another additional apparatus, which voltage converter can be plugged into the plug socket of the multi-way mains plug and to a large extent has space within the cavity of the plug socket, and which, under some circumstances, is equipped with a plug socket for the socket part.
As the cavity of the plug socket is too small to ensure covering according to specifications of a safety plug, this specification proposes that it be made possible to insert into the plug socket of the multi-way mains plug a safety plug collar which guarantees the covering, specified by the German standard, of a safety plug inserted into this plug socket. As a safety plug may not be plugged into a two-pole plug socket, and is therefore equipped with pins which are too thick for two-pole plug sockets, this suggestion does not achieve the goal.
The drawback in the subject matter described is that the set can only produce a transition from two-pole sockets to two-pole plugs.
A three-pole adapter is known from the German patent No. 198 45 962 C1. This has plug contacts, which are arranged in a star shape, of different standards with three pins, in each case, and one safety plug socket in the centre of the star. By rotating a contact part, one plug contact after the other is actuated in turn, it only being possible to activate a single plug contact in each case. A development of this adapter is known from EP-A 1 257 018. In the latter, the plug socket itself is rotatably arranged to activate the plug contact of a particular standard. The commercially available version of this development has, in contrast to the version shown in the patent mentioned, no hybrid safety plug, but a plug exclusively of a French standard, which cannot be plugged into a safety socket of a German standard.
The drawback in these adapters is that they are only suitable for plugging in safety plugs and two-pole Euro plugs. The plugs, for example, of a US standard, an AU standard, a UK standard, a CH standard or an IT standard cannot be plugged in.
An adapter is known from GB-A 2 366 087, which is configured on an end face in such a way that a large number of different end panels with plug contacts of a different standard can be arranged thereon. The rear of the adapter is designed to arrange a large number of different sockets thereon. Various standards of plug contacts can thus be combined with various standards of sockets. As a result, the adapter desired for the specific situation can be assembled from a set of parts. An exemplary embodiment shows an adapter of the type with a safety plug and a multi-way plug socket for the standards of the UK, US, AU, IT and other territories. The drawback in this adapter is that the front panel can be removed from the adapter and can be plugged without protection into a plug socket, whereupon current-carrying parts are bare and accessible. Presumably for this reason, this plug is not available as a kit, but only as an individual adapter, the front panel of which cannot be changed. The drawback in the commercially available adapter is that it can only now be plugged with the hybrid safety plug in safety plug sockets of the German standard and plug sockets of the French standard.
It is therefore an advantage of the invention to provide an adapter conforming with standards, which connects between most three-pole plug sockets, including the safety socket, and most three-pole plugs, including the safety plug. This adapter is moreover to have a small overall size.
According to the invention, an adapter in which, of the various available plug contacts, the safety plug is exclusively formed on the socket part and the safety plug socket is exclusively formed on the plug part. This arrangement has the great advantage that an adapter set of this type can be very compactly constructed as both the safety plug socket and the safety plug are, in each case, only present once on the adapter set. This has the advantage that the plug contacts of the plug part do not have to have a safety plug, as the safety plug is already present in the separate socket part. If a safety plug is required, only the socket part is therefore used. The socket part—as can be seen from the figures—can be configured as a very compact attachment, as the bulky safety plug has a great deal of space to receive the plug contacts of various other standards in the interior. The compact mode of construction of the adapter set is therefore achieved in other words in that,
the three-pole plug contacts of the plug part may correspond to one or more different plug standards but do not contain a safety plug, and
different plug standards are formed or are present on the socket part—but no safety plug socket, and in that the socket part can be connected to the plug part by means of a safety plug socket formed on the plug part and a safety plug formed on the socket part. The safety plug and safety plug socket may in this case contain both the German and the French safety plug standard. In the adapter set according to the invention, only a single plug is therefore present, which is compatible with safety plug sockets or plug sockets of the French standard, and which is configured as a hybrid safety plug on the socket part.
The adapter set according to the invention therefore has in common with the prior art according to WO 02/063722 that it is two-part, and is therefore an adapter set which is formed from a plug part with a plug socket and a plug, which fits this plug socket, with a multi-way plug socket. It has in common with the prior art according to DE 198 45 962 C1, that the multi-way plug is equipped with three-pole plug contacts and has a safety socket. It has in common with the prior art according to GB 2 366 087 that the multi-way plug socket has a hybrid safety plug.
Beyond the teachings of this prior art, the invention, however, teaches that a set is to be formed from a (multi-way) plug of this type, which does not have a safety plug or a plug of a French standard, and a multi-way plug socket of this type with a hybrid safety plug. This set formation allows, in contrast to the cited prior art, this adapter plug to be produced with a small overall size, because no safety plug is formed on the plug part. The safety plug of the socket part is hybrid for compatibility with the safety plug sockets of the German standard and plug sockets of the French standard. This means that a safety plug does not have to be formed on the plug part nor does a safety socket have to be formed on the socket part, and yet with the aid of this set, the most varied mains plugs, including safety plugs, can be inserted in the most varied sockets, including safety sockets. The safety socket and the safety plug are in addition, arranged in a very space-saving and invisible manner despite their size and their striking appearance, when the set components are in the assembled state.
It is advantageous to take at least one precautionary measure in the adapter set, so the hybrid safety plug can only be plugged in one position into the safety plug socket. Correct polarisation of the plug receptacles and plug contacts with pins arranged in the triangle can thus be achieved.
If a star-shaped arrangement of the different plugs is also possible, so the pins project approximately radially from the plug housing, it is desirable that the plug contacts of different standards are displaceably mounted relative to the housing of the plug part. All the pins are expediently displaceably mounted parallel to one another. They can be pushed into a passive position into the housing and pushed out from the housing into an active position. This has the known effect that the plug part has a small overall size, because the plug contacts can be arranged nested in one another thanks to this displaceability. The displaceability in each case allows the pins of a plug contact of a standard to be pushed forward, while the pins of the other plug contacts lie within the housing.
A CH plug contact with a CH plug-in body is provided, which CH plug-in body can be pushed into the housing and pushed out from this housing, and the pins of the CH plug contact can be pushed along a displacement path into the CH plug-in body into a passive position and pushed out from the CH plug-in body into an active position. The CH plug contact, because of the displacement path for the plug-in body and the displacement path for the pins, has a particularly long displacement path. This is longer than in the other plugs. It would be just as long for a displaceable safety plug. However, one of these is not provided according to the invention. Rather, a safety plug is formed on the plug socket part, which safety plug can be plugged in a safety plug socket in the plug part. This safety plug socket requires a relatively large depth, which extends in the same direction as the displacement path of the CH plug contact.
The displacement path of the CH plug contact therefore advantageously extends to next to the safety plug socket. This overlap of displacement path of the CH plug contact and the plug-in depth of the safety socket is the reason for the surprisingly small dimension of the plug set in the displacement direction.
A further contribution to the shortness of the plug set in the direction of the displacement paths is provided by the arrangement of all the plug receptacles of the multi-way plug socket within the safety plug-in body. Thanks to the size of the plug-in body of the safety plug contact, it is possible to receive the plug sockets for the pins of plugs of different standards.
The safety socket, apart from the peripheral ground contacts according to the German standard, may be configured with a ground pin of the French standard. The FR ground pin is advantageous, in particular for the inner structure of the plug part, as will be shown below. The safety socket may be configured with or without the FR ground pin. A short, non-projecting pin or a long, projecting pin merely has to be inserted in the plug part in order to produce these two sets to be supplied differently for Germany and France.
In certain countries, care has to be taken about the correct polarisation in three-pole plugs. In the plug socket of the French standard, the polarisation is given. The safety plug of the German standard is meanwhile not defined with regard to its polarisation. Without suitable measure, in a safety plug of the German standard, all the plug-in receptacles present in the socket part are undefined with regard to their polarisation, although the plug contacts (all except IT and safety) are defined with respect to their polarisation. So that the polarisation between plug contacts of the plug part and plug-in receptacles of the socket part cannot be confused, either, in the adapter set with the safety socket of the German standard, a protrusion is formed on the plug part and a recess receiving the protrusion is formed on the socket part, so the socket part can only be plugged in in one position into the plug part. However, this cannot prevent the safety plug contact of the socket part being plugged into a safety socket wrongly with regard to the polarisation. Apparatuses with safety plugs may also not in any way be sensitive with regard to the polarity. However, in the case of standards with unambiguous polarisation, the plug can therefore not be plugged in incorrectly polarised.
The prerequisite for the continuously correct polarisation is that the plug contacts defined with regard to polarisation, which all have a triangle pin arrangement with the ground pin on a plane of symmetry, are correspondingly correctly connected. It is advantageous for a simple contact guidance in the interior of the housing that the pins for the phase are in each case arranged on the same side of this plane of symmetry. If therefore a UK plug contact, a US plug contact and an AU plug contact are provided with a common plane of symmetry through the ground pins, the ground pin in the AU plug contact and in the UK plug contact is in each case arranged on the same side, but, in the US plug contact, in comparison to this, it is arranged on the other side of its pins for phase and neutral conductor.
If an FR ground pin is present in the safety socket of the plug part, the polarisation is maintained if it is located in the common plane of symmetry and, with regard to the two receptacles for phase and neutral conductor, on the same side as the ground pin of the US plug contact is located with regard to its pins for phase and neutral conductor.
Overall, care is taken that each plug standard present is configured on the plug part and on the plug socket part in such a way that the plug-in receptacles in the socket part are arranged the same with regard to the orientation of phase, neutral conductor and ground as the corresponding pins of the plug contacts of this standard on the plug side.
The FR ground pin can also only be present within the housing, and be missing outside the housing. The part within the housing namely advantageously forms a sliding bearing. This allows the establishing of a sliding contact between the ground pin of a plug contact which can be pushed out and the sliding bearing, which is formed by the ground pin. The sliding bearing can also be configured independently of the ground pin of the FR socket. However, it is advantageously formed on an extension of the ground pin of the FR socket, which extends through the housing. This configuration of the FR ground pin is used for its stabilisation and simultaneously grounding of an extendable ground pin of a plug contact of another standard.
The subject matter of the present invention is also a socket part in which at least two, at least three or at least four different plug sockets are formed on the socket panel. This socket part has the advantage that it can be economically produced and allows three-pole plugs of a plurality of country standards to be equally received. The plug socket part advantageously has at least three plug sockets or at least four plug sockets of the country standards CH, IT, UK, US and AU. In combination with an adapter plug, which has a plug of any country's standard (apart from a safety plug) and a safety plug socket, the socket part can provide the plug sockets of the economically most significant countries of the world.
According to one embodiment, the ground contacts are arranged in a common plane and the phase pins and neutral conductor pins are arranged symmetrically thereto. This has the advantage that the plug part can be constructed with a minimum number of different parts. A common plug-in opening is expediently provided in the socket panel for the ground pins of the CH, IT, US and AU standard. This has the advantage that the socket part can be particularly compact.
According to another aspect of the invention, the plug socket part may have at least any two plug sockets of the country standards Israel (IL), India (IN) or Denmark (DK). All three aforementioned country standards are implemented in a single socket part. Since the plug sockets are housed in the safety plug housing, the socket part is relatively small and compact.
In order to stabilise the FR ground pin, this sliding bearing pin is fixed both at the front in the housing of the plug part and also at the rear in the base of the safety socket.
The invention will now be described in detail with the aid of the figures, in which:
The adapter plug set 11 in
The CH/IT plug contact 20 has a plug-in body 25 which can be pushed out. In this plug-in body 25, the pins 21, 22, 23 are displaceably mounted. They can therefore be pushed out into the active position and pushed into the passive position shown, the plug-in body 25 also being moved out from the housing in the active position by the length specified by the standard. The pins of the CH/IT plug contact which are displaceable in the plug-in body 25 are in this case pushed further out of the plug-in body by their pin length in the active position. The CH/IT ground pin 23, in the active position, can be pushed into an IT-conforming position (on a line with the pins 21 and 22) or into a CH-conforming position (triangle arrangement). This displacement of the ground pin 23 in the active position takes place perpendicular to the displacement direction of the plug contact. The ground pin 23 is displaced manually.
A safety socket 17 (visible in
The safety socket 17 is configured with an ground contact 71 according to the German standard and with an ground pin 73 according to the French standard. However, in particular for use in Germany, where non-hybrid safety plugs are frequently present, the ground pin 73 may be missing. The safety plug 19 of the socket part 15 fits into the safety socket 17 in both cases.
On the socket side of the socket part 15 opposing the safety plug, plug receptacles 29, 39, 49 and 59 are present for the plug standard corresponding to the plug contacts 20, 30, 40, 50 of the plug part 13. These plug receptacles together from a multi-way plug socket 16. The socket side has a plurality of plug-in holes, which correspond to the plug contacts of different country standards. Arranged behind the holes are metal terminals, in which the plug contacts can be plugged. The terminal for the CH ground pin in this case is the same as for the US ground pin. The plug-in holes in the housing for the ground pins of the Italian, Swiss, US and Australian standard are connected. The plug-in holes for the phase and neutral conductor pins of the UK and AU plugs are also connected.
So that the polarisation of the unambiguously polarised plug contacts 20, 30, 40, 50 and plug receptacles 29, 39, 49, 59 coincide, they are oriented in the same direction. If in UK and AU plugs or receptacles the ground contact points are above the other two pins or receptacles, in the CH and US plugs and receptacles, these ground contact positions are located under the other two pins or receptacles.
If the safety plug 19 on the socket part 15 and the safety socket 17 on the plug part 13 are both hybrid, the connection with the correct pole between the plug contacts and plug socket is certain. However, if the safety socket 17 on the plug part 13 does not have an ground pin 73, a safety plug can be plugged in in two positions. In order to prevent this in the safety plug 19 on the socket part 15, a protrusion 65 is formed on the rear 63 of the plug part 13. This protrusion 65 cooperates with a recess 67 on the collar 61 of the socket part 15 when the socket part 15 is placed in the correct orientation. If the socket part 15 is rotated through 180°, it cannot be plugged into the safety socket. As a result, the socket part 15 can only be plugged into the plug part 13 in one position, in which the contours of the plug part and of the socket part fit together. Safety plugs of electrical apparatuses may, however, be plugged in any orientation into the safety socket 17 on the plug part 15.
When the slide 26 is pushed forward by means of the actuating lever 27 (
In the active position, minipins 28 are plugged into three contact strips 81, 82, 83. These minipins 28 are in conductive contact with a respective pin 21, 22, 23 of the plug contact 20. The contact strip 81 is in contact with terminals 69 for the pins of the safety plug 19.
The other plug contacts 30, 40 and 50 need a smaller displacement path and are arranged in front of the safety socket 17 in the sliding direction. The terminal 69 for the contact with the pins of the safety plug 19 are arranged between the pins of these plug contacts. These other plug contacts 30, 40, 50 also plug into the contact strips 81, 82, 83 in the active position with minipins 38, 48, 58.
The ground pin 33 of the AU plug contact 30 is an exception. The latter slides with a consumer 35 over a pin 75. This pin 75 is in conductive contact with the ground contact strip 83 and is, if present, the extension of the FR ground pin 73.
Shields 85 can be seen in
A locking part 87 is also shown in
As can be derived from the thickness of the collar 61, the terminals of the plug-in receptacles in the socket part are all arranged within the plug-in body 18 of the safety plug 19.
The adapter set is composed of a plug part 13 and a socket part 15. The plug part 13 is equipped with three-pole plug contacts 20, 30, 40, 50 of different standards and a three-pole safety plug socket 17. The socket part 15 is equipped with a three-pole safety plug 19 and a three-pole multi-way plug socket 16. The adapter plug set 11 only comprises a single safety plug 19, namely the one formed on the socket part 15. A precautionary measure is taken by means of a ground pin 73 and/or a protrusion 65 on the plug part, which cooperates with a recess 67 on the socket part, which prevents the socket part 15 being able to be plugged into two different positions in the safety plug socket 17.
The adapter set 11 according to the invention may, instead of a multi-way plug, have a plug part 14a to c with a three-pole plug contact of a first standard and a safety socket 17. As shown in
The socket part 15 according to the invention is distinguished in that it in each case has a plurality of at least three, or at least four, different three-pole plug sockets of different country standards. An adapter set according to the invention may therefore have different plug parts on the plug side, in each case combined with a safety socket 17 and different socket parts 15 on the socket side with three-pole plug sockets of different country standards, in each case combined with a safety plug 19.
According to
the safety plug housing 101, which has the phase pin 103a and the neutral conductor pin 103b on the end face,
a socket panel 111, which can be placed on the plug housing 101 and in which the plug-in openings 29, 39, 49, 59 are configured for the different plugs of the various country standards,
at least three contact parts 105, 107, 109, which form the terminal contacts for receiving the individual pins and can be inserted in the housing 101, and
a holding-down device 113 made of plastics material, which can be inserted in the plug housing 101.
A child safety device 115 may also be provided between the socket panel 111 and the holding-down device 113. The child safety device 115 can be displaced on the holding-down device 113 in a specific displacement direction. The child safety device 115 is prestressed by means of a spring 117 supported on the housing wall into a pushed-forward end position, in which the child safety device at least partially blocks the plug-in holes 29, 39, 49, 59 for the phase and neutral conductor pins. This prevents children being able to come into contact with the current-carrying terminal contacts while playing. If the plug pins of a plug are plugged into the plug-in holes, the child safety device is pushed back against the force of the spring 117. For this purpose, oblique sliding faces 120, which come to rest behind the plug-in openings in the rest position, are provided in the panel.
A holding-down device 113 is supported at one end on the end face of the plug housing 101 and, at the other end, on the underneath of the socket panel 111. The holding-down device 113 has arms 116, which can engage in grooves 114 on the inside of the plug housing 101. Projections 118 can engage in corresponding recesses 122 at the upper edge of the housing. As a result, the holding-down device 113 is fixed in position in the housing 101. The holding-down device 113 may, in this case, also have the function of limiting the path of the terminal contacts.
Provided on the underneath of the socket panel 111 are two screw-in sleeves 125, in which two screws 127 can be screwed from the end face of the plug housing in order to fix the socket panel 111 on the plug housing.
The socket parts only have three injection-moulded parts, namely the plug housing, in which the pins are directly inserted or injection-moulded around, the socket panel and the holding-down device. In addition, only three contact elements are present, on which terminal elements to receive the pins of the same type are formed. The phase and neutral conductor pins are, in this case, rigidly connected to the contact elements and can be inserted in a recess in the plug housing
The exemplary embodiment according to
The adapter set is composed of a plug part 13 and a socket part 15. The plug part 13 is equipped with at least one three-pole plug contact 20, 30, 40 or 50 of a particular country standard at one end and a three-pole safety plug socket 17 at the other end of the adapter set 11. The socket part 15 is equipped with a three-pole safety plug 19 and a three-pole multi-way plug socket 16 of various country standards. The adapter set 11 comprises only a single safety plug 19, namely the plug formed on the socket part 15. A precautionary measure is taken that the polarisation of the multi-way plug socket corresponds to the polarisation of the plug contacts.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0923/08 | Jun 2008 | CH | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CH2009/000204 | 6/16/2009 | WO | 00 | 12/17/2010 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2009/152629 | 12/23/2009 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4626052 | Rumble | Dec 1986 | A |
| 6227883 | Lee et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
| 6328581 | Lee et al. | Dec 2001 | B1 |
| 7223126 | Ng | May 2007 | B2 |
| 7381067 | Sze | Jun 2008 | B2 |
| 7445513 | Lee | Nov 2008 | B1 |
| 8033867 | Kessler et al. | Oct 2011 | B1 |
| 20060148291 | Bona et al. | Jul 2006 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 88 06 144 | Jul 1988 | DE |
| 198 45 962 | Oct 1999 | DE |
| 200 14 987 | Oct 2000 | DE |
| 0 156 076 | Oct 1985 | EP |
| 0 616 389 | Sep 1994 | EP |
| 1 257 018 | May 2002 | EP |
| 2 366 087 | Feb 2002 | GB |
| WO 02063722 | Aug 2002 | WO |
| WO 02063723 | Aug 2002 | WO |
| WO 2007-015156 | Feb 2007 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20110086527 A1 | Apr 2011 | US |
