Barrier for protecting female contacts of a connector

Abstract

A device for protecting female electrical contacts (1), applicable to connectors whose geometry does not allow the application of a front-mounted blackout mechanism and combining the use of female contacts to be protected (1) through which insulating rods (2) are passed, equipped with a return spring (3), insulating caps arranged at the entrance of the contacts (4), a mechanism (5) located behind the contacts and consisting of a movable part with 2 degrees of freedom (51), a perforated movable part support (52), a set (7) of bars (71) electrically connected to the periphery of the electrical contacts (1) which pass through them as well as to the electrical wires (81) of the connecting cord (8) of the connector.

Description

[0001] Field of invention The invention relates to the field of electrical connectors for direct current or alternating current, electrical distribution, electric vehicle charging, and infrastructures equipped with electrical or electronic equipment.

[0002] Exposition of prior art: The female contacts of the connectors, if they are not sufficiently protected, are likely to be accessible to touch, either directly by the user's finger if the diameter of the contact is large, or indirectly via a metal rod.This exposure could represent a danger of electric shock to the user, so many shielding solutions exist, such as the device described in patent No. EP 1376772 relating to the protection of a female connector such as a domestic socket by an assembly comprising movable shutters and a protection mechanism located in the front area of ​​the connector whose logic is based on maintaining the shielding of the protected contact entry when a single contact is activated and on clearing this shielding when several contacts are activated simultaneously, the latter situation corresponding to the insertion of the plug into the socket thus protected.

[0003] Some female connectors have geometric shapes that make it difficult to install protective shutters or flaps on the front part, as described in patent EP 1376772. This is particularly true when the contacts to be protected are themselves housed in insulating barrels that are an integral part of the connector's mating interface. To overcome this problem, patent EP 2685568 describes a solution for lateral release of the contact protection flaps. This release is achieved by the action of the corresponding male connector body, which, upon insertion, acts on a front-facing mechanism that releases the flaps even before the male contacts penetrate the female contacts of the connector.This solution is only feasible, however, if the geometry of the female connector provides sufficient space to accommodate a mechanism and allow the shutters to move laterally outwards from the mating interface. It applies, for example, to Type 2 sockets in electric vehicle charging stations according to IEC 62196-2 Edition 2.0. Document US6767228B2 discloses a shuttering device using movable rods along the longitudinal axis of the contacts to be protected, with the contact shuttering mechanism located at the rear of the connector, behind the female contacts to be protected.

[0004] Indeed, the difficulty of providing protection with a front-mounted mechanism remains when the connector contacts are housed in insulating casings and when the mating interface does not allow for sufficient peripheral space for housing a mechanism and lateral clearance of contact protection flaps. This is particularly the case for the so-called Type 2 and CCS2 female connectors of charging cables intended to be mated to the male plug sockets of electric vehicles, and whose front-wall interfaces, described respectively in IEC 62196-2 Edition 2.0 and IEC 62196-3 Edition 1.0, exhibit such a geometric characteristic.It is particularly necessary to solve this problem in order to install an electric vehicle charging station equipped with an attached charging cable, in compliance with the safety requirements contained in certain national regulations relating to the protection of electrical contacts of connectors and sockets of electrical installations in buildings.

[0005] Objectives of the invention The device according to the invention solves this problem because it provides protection applicable to any type of female connector, regardless of the profile of its coupling interface. This device is therefore particularly applicable to TYPE 2 and CCS2 female connectors used in charging cables and intended to be coupled to the male plug sockets of electric vehicles as described respectively in IEC 62196-2 Edition 2.0 and IEC 62196-3 Edition 1.0.

[0006] Preferred embodiment of the invention:The invention relates to a device for equipping a connector or a female electrical socket as shown in figure 1 it is composed of a front piece (9) located at the coupling interface of the connector or socket, composed of insulating barrels (9 1 ) housing the contacts, of at least two female electrical contacts to be protected (1) having a peripheral electrical connection (1 1 ) and of unprotected electrical contacts (1 2 ) such as for example those associated with earth potential or with very low voltage electrical signals, of rigid blackout rods called rods (2), movable in the longitudinal axis of the contacts to be protected (1) which they pass through, made totally or partially in front part or covered with electrically insulating material and each provided with a stop (2 1 ) ensuring their end of travel and allowing the support of a return spring (3) whose role is to position them towards the front area of ​​the connector in the absence of stress, of insulating caps (4), pierced with a longitudinal hole of the same diameter as the diameter of the inner channel of the contact,positioned in the front part of the connector, composed or covered with electrically insulating material and covering the outer surface of the contacts to be protected (1) in the front area of ​​the connector, of a mechanism (5) located at the rear of the connector, behind the contacts, preventing the release of the contact remaining obstructed by the rod (2) which passes through it in the event of frontal pressure exerted on a single rod (2) and allowing the release of the contacts in the event of frontal pressures exerted simultaneously on several rods (2), comprising: ∘ At least one movable part (51) with two degrees of freedom, equipped with lugs (513), having inclined flat surfaces (512) located in the axis of the rods (2) at the base of which are holes (511) of a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the rods (2),• a moving part support (52) with holes (521) of a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the rods (2) aligned along the longitudinal axis of the contacts to be protected (1) and having locking cavities (523), • a transverse rotation axis (53) placed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the contacts to be protected (1) and allowing either a tilting or a translational movement of the moving part, • several return springs (54) for the moving part (51), for an intermediate part (6) serving as a support for the stops (21) of the rods (2), as well as for the protected (1) and unprotected (12) electrical contacts of the connector, for a set (7) of busbars, consisting of several electrical conductors (71) mounted on a substrate (72) and connected by brazing to the peripheral connections (11) of the contacts to be protected (1) as well as to which are connected, for example after brazing (8 2 ), the electrical wires (8 1 ) of the connecting cord (8),of a rear guide (10) through which the rods (2) pass, allowing them to be precisely positioned at the interface with the mechanism (5).

[0007] As illustrated in figure 3The mechanism is designed to allow only either a translational movement or a tilting movement of the moving part (51). This mechanism (5) prevents the rods (2) from being released when frontal pressure is applied to only one of them. The pressure causes a slight inward movement of the rod, which immediately tilts the moving part. The lug (513), located on the side of the tilted moving part, engages in the corresponding locking cavity (523) of the moving part support (52), thus preventing any translation of the moving part along the transverse axis of rotation (53) and immediately stopping the rod's travel, which is then immobilized against the tilted moving part.Conversely, when the male counterpart connector is engaged, the mechanism (5) allows the rods (2) to be released by the pressure of the male contacts exerted simultaneously on several of them. The simultaneous forces transmitted to the moving part (5) on either side of the transverse axis of rotation (53) cause its translational movement as the rods (2) are driven along its inclined flat surfaces (512). When the holes (511) in the moving part (5) are aligned with the axis of the contacts, the movement of the rods (2) continues through the moving part (5) and its support (52) until the male contacts are fully engaged in the female contacts. The return springs (3) are tensioned to return the rods (2) to the front face of the connector upon the next disconnection.The insulating caps (4) covering the contacts to be protected (1) have a length greater than the distance of slight penetration made by a rod (2) subjected unitarily to a support and causing the tilting of the moving part (5 1 ) of the mechanism (5).

[0008] When the connector or socket is in the 'uncoupled' state, the rods (2) pass completely through the electrical contacts to be protected (1) and are pushed by the return springs (3) towards the front face of the connector. Their stop (21) rests against the intermediate piece (6), positioning their end in alignment with the front face of the connector. Following the logic described above of the tilting of the moving part (51) of the mechanism (5) and the locking of the rods (2) when pressure is applied to one of them, the combination of the rigid shielding rods (2) and the insulating caps (4) constitutes an insulating protective barrier preventing a finger from touching any contact to be protected (1) and preventing a metallic object from coming into contact with any of the contacts to be protected (1).

[0009] When the connector or socket is in a mating position, following the logic described above of the translational movement of the moving part (5 1 ) of the mechanism (5), during a homogeneous pressure exerted on all the rods (2) by the contacts of a male counterpart connector, these are pushed back and the electrical contact can freely be established between the female contacts to be protected (1) and the male contacts of the counterpart connector.

[0010] A variant of the device consists of adding in front of each contact to be protected an occulting diaphragm, called a diaphragm (30), as shown on the figure 2A diaphragm (30) comprises at least two electrically insulating eyelids (31) that slide in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the contacts (1), and a diaphragm support (32) with an externally circular shape, perforated in its center where the eyelids are located and having two lateral rails (34) that guide their transverse movement corresponding to the opening and closing of the diaphragm. In this embodiment, the insulating rods (2) have a fork-shaped or trident-shaped termination consisting of a central prong (26) and two lateral prongs (25), or another shape comprising at least three points, so as to pass through both eyelids at three points and to hold them locked when the diaphragm is in the closed position. Each eyelid (31) of the diaphragm has a central oculus (38) of semi-oval shape and a window (37).The shape of the teeth (25) and (26) of the stem (2) conforms to that of the central opening and the windows of the two eyelids of the counterformed diaphragm, so that the complete occlusion of each contact to be protected is then constituted by the eyelid (31) + stem (2) assembly. The two eyelids are connected to each other by two springs (33) that repel them and are arranged laterally by means of lugs (36). Each eyelid has a large inclined area at the front to facilitate its opening by sliding when the male contact (40) of the counterpart connector penetrates the female contact to be protected (1). When one or more protruding teeth of the stem (2) protecting the contact (1) are pressed against, with a finger or any other object, the stem initiates a slight recoil movement until it is quickly blocked by the rocker mechanism (5) located at the rear of the connector, as described previously.In this position, the diaphragm remains closed, unable to open, because the openings (37) of the eyelids (31) remain obstructed by the trident-shaped ends of the rod (2). The rod's penetration length is fixed at a value greater than its stroke until the moving part (51) tilts, when subjected to frontal pressure by a finger or any other object. When the counter connector is inserted, the simultaneous pressure exerted on several rods (2) actuates the rear mechanism (5), allowing the rods to be pushed in according to the previously described translation process of the moving part (51). The eyelids (31) have their respective window (37) freed from the termination (2 5 ) of the rod sinking and spread apart under the action of penetration of the contact (40) of the counterpart male connector which can freely continue its insertion course through the open diaphragm.

[0011] During disconnection, the removal of the male contacts (40) allows the rods (2), pushed at the same rate by their respective springs (3), to migrate towards the frontal area. The eyelids (31) are brought together by their springs (33) to close the diaphragm (30). When the male contacts (40) are completely disengaged, the central tooth (26) of each rod (2) occupies the central oculus formed by the two eyelids (31) of the diaphragm (30), which are reunited, and the lateral teeth (25) of the rods (2) penetrate their openings (37), locking the diaphragm in the closed position.

[0012] Another variant of the device concerns the female connectors to be protected, where the shape of the mating interface (20) of the counterpart male connector represents the counter-shape of the front piece (9) of the female connector, as is the case for Type 2 and CCS 2 charging sockets according to IEC 62196-2 Edition 2.0 and IEC 62196-3 Edition 1.0 respectively, used in electric vehicles. This variant consists of adding at least one locking rod for the moving part (51) as illustrated in figure 4To achieve this, additional holes (91), (73), (61), and (101) are added respectively to the front piece (9), the bar set (7), the intermediate piece (6), and the rear guide (10). Openings (515) are created on the moving part (51) to allow the rod(s) to pass through regardless of the position of the moving part (5). A window (524) is created on the support (52) of the mechanism (5) to allow the rod(s) (11) to pass through it freely. The rod(s) (11) passes longitudinally through the female connector to be protected parallel to the rods (2) and is located between the contacts unlike the rods (2) which pass through the contacts to be protected (1), so that when the counterpart male connector is introduced, the rod(s) is / are pushed back towards the rear of the connector by the mating interface (20).Each rod is fitted at the front termination with a cap (11 1) and fitted at the rear termination with a foot (11 2) oriented so that each arm of the foot forms a 90° angle with the longitudinal axis of the rod, in the shape of 'L' or any other shape suitable so that the terminal arm of the foot (11 2) prevents any possibility of translation of the moving part (5 1) of the mechanism (5) when the female connector containing the device is not coupled.

[0013] As illustrated in figure 5 In the absence of coupling, the foot (11 2 ) of the L-shaped rod termination comes to be positioned in a window (5 15 ) of the moving part (5 1 ) of the mechanism which prohibits it from any translational movement.

[0014] At the beginning of coupling and before the rods (2) are pushed in by the male contacts (40), the rod (11) is pushed in by the coupling interface (20) against the male connector, passes through the window (5 15 ) of the moving part (5 1 ), its 'L' shaped foot moves back thus freeing the moving part (5 1 ) from the prohibition of translational movement.

[0015] When the moving part is released, the rods pushed by the male contacts (40) cause the moving part to translate and continue their course through the holes (5 11 ) of the moving part and the holes (5 21 ) of the support.

[0016] During disconnection, the rod (11) is pushed back towards the front area of ​​the connector by its return spring (12) pressing against its stop (11 3 ), until it returns to its position as described above in the situation of no coupling.

Claims

1. Device intended to be fitted to a connector or a female electrical socket outlet, comprising: • a front part (9) located at the mating interface of the connector, consisting of insulating drums (91) containing the female contacts, • at least two female electrical contacts to be protected (1) having a circumferential electrical connection (11), • rigid occultation rods, referred to as rods (2), consisting wholly or partially of a front portion or covered with electrically insulating material and fitted with stops (21) and return springs (3), insulating caps (4) positioned at the front portion of the connector and made of or covered with electrically insulating material covering the outer surface of the contacts to be protected (1) in the front region of the connector, the rods (2) being movable along the longitudinal axis of the contacts to be protected and of the stops (21) ensuring the end of travel of the rods (2) and allowing them to bear on a spring (3); • a mechanism (5) controlling the occultation of the contacts to be protected (1), comprising a support (52) pierced with holes (521) having locking cavities (523) and exclusively allowing either a translational movement or a tilting movement of at least one movable part (51) with two degrees of freedom, equipped with lugs (513) and holes (511) and inclined surfaces (512), this mechanism (5) being located at the rear of the connector, behind the female contacts, preventing the release of the female contact remaining obstructed by the rod (2) which passes through it in the event of frontal pressure exerted on a single rod (2) and allowing the release of the contacts in the event of frontal pressures exerted simultaneously on a plurality of rods (2), the mechanism comprising: ∘ at least one movable part (51) with two degrees of freedom, equipped with lugs (513), having inclined flat surfaces (512) located in the axis of the rods (2) at the base of which are holes (511) having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the rods (2), ∘ a movable part support (52) pierced with holes (521) having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the rods (2) aligned in the longitudinal axis of the contacts to be protected (1) and having locking cavities (523), ∘ a transverse rotation spindle (53) placed perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the contacts to be protected (1) and allowing either a tilting movement or a translational movement of the movable part, ∘ a plurality of return springs (54) for the movable part (51), • a busbar set (7) consisting of a plurality of conductors (71) mounted on a substrate (72), • a connection, for example after soldering (82), to electrical wires (81) of a connection cord (8), the mechanism (5) controlling the occultation function being located at the rear of the connector behind the electrical contacts to be protected (1), said mechanism (5) being actuated by means of rods (2) passing right through the female electrical contacts to be protected (1), which are electrically connected on their circumference (11) either directly to the electrical wires (81) of the connection cord, or by means of the busbar set (7), the conductors of which are electrically connected to the electrical wires (81) of the connection cord (8).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the connector or socket is in the "unmated" state, the combination of insulating caps (4) and rods (2) forms an insulating barrier preventing electric shock by blocking the penetration movement of the rods (2) when acted upon by a finger or object, following the tilting and immobilization of the movable part (51) due to the penetration of one of its lugs (513) into one of the cavities (523) of the support (52) and resulting from the frontal pressure exerted on a single rod (2) and retransmitted by this rod (2) to the mechanism (5)3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the connector or socket is in the initial mating position, the simultaneous thrust exerted on the rods (2) of the device by at least two contacts of the counterpart male connector, located on either side of a plane of symmetry passing through the transverse rotation spindle (53) and the longitudinal axis of the female connector, is retransmitted onto the inclined surfaces (512) of the movable part (51) and generates the translational movement thereof along the transverse rotation spindle (53), freeing the passage of the rods through the holes (511) of the movable part (51) and through the holes (521) of the movable part support (52), allowing the male contacts of the counterpart connector to continue their travel into the female contacts to be protected (1)4. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the connector or socket is in the "unmated" state, the rods (2) pass right through the electrical contacts to be protected (1) and are thrust by the return springs (3) toward the front face of the connector5. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that in addition to the insulating caps (4), diaphragms (30), each consisting of a support (32) and at least two eyelids (31) made of electrically insulating material, are located at the front portion of each contact to be protected (1) and in that the rigid insulating rods (2) passing through them have, at the front end, a fork or trident shape or another shape comprising at least three points, and are embedded in the diaphragm eyelids (31), which have counter-formed slots suitable for holding the diaphragm in the closed position when the connector containing the device is not mated, and so that the assemblies of the rods (2) and eyelids (31) form an insulating protective barrier against any attempt to insert a finger or other object into any of the contacts to be protected (1).

6. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the translational movement of the movable part (51) is blocked by at least one pin (11), located between the contacts of the device, so that during connection, the mating interface of the counterpart male connector thrusts said pin before the rods are loaded, passing through the front part (9), the busbar (7), the movable part (51) and the support (52) of the mechanism (5), the pin being thrust toward the front portion of the connector by a spring (12) bearing on its stop (113), the rear end of which pin has an L-shaped foot (112) perpendicular to the axis of the rods, or any other shape such that the end branch of the foot (112) prevents any possibility of translation of the movable part (51) of the mechanism (5) when the female connector containing the device is not mated.

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