Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly

Abstract

A wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly (10) comprising a housing (20) provided with an opening (24), a transformer assembly (34), a USB socket (50) arranged within the housing (20) and aligned with the opening (24), a pushbutton (52) protruding from the housing (20) and arranged in vicinity of the opening (24), and a switching device (54). Either the switching device (54) comprises a casing (56) and a microswitch (58) being commutable by an action on the pushbutton (52) in a pushing direction (PD) and being enclosed in the casing (56), the casing (56) being attached to the housing (20) and resting against a back side (21) of a front wall (22) of the housing (22). Or the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly (10) further comprises at least a printed circuit board (31) to which the switching device (54) is soldered.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to electrical installations in buildings and concerns a wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly, particularly to a wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly configured to be installed in a fitting box, more particularly to a wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly configured to be flush mounted in a fitting box.

[0002] USB power outlets are generally known. These power outlets are configured to deliver a direct current to a device which is connected to the power outlet through a cable for instance. Such a USB power outlet is for instance known from prior art document EP 3 648 262 A1.

[0003] Document EP 2 287 975 B1 discloses a wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly having a switching assembly enabling the USB power outlet assembly to be cut from mains power when no cable is plugged. A wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly of this type may be referred to as a normally off USB power outlet assembly. However, the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly and in particular the switching assembly of the USB power outlet assembly are relatively cumbersome and time consuming to assemble.

[0004] The objective of the present invention is to provide a wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly which is easy and fast to assemble.

[0005] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly. The wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly comprises a housing having a front wall provided with an opening, a phase connection terminal for connecting to a phase power line, a neutral connection terminal for connecting to a neutral power line, a transformer assembly having a phase input terminal, a neutral input terminal, a first pole output terminal and a second pole output terminal. The wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly further comprises a USB socket arranged within the housing and aligned with the opening, a pushbutton protruding from the front wall and arranged in vicinity of the opening, and a switching device either connected between the phase connection terminal and the phase input terminal or connected between the neutral connection terminal and the neutral input terminal.

[0006] The wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly is characterized in that the switching device comprises a casing and a microswitch being commutable by an action on the pushbutton in a pushing direction and being enclosed in the casing, the casing being attached to the housing and resting against a back side of the front wall, or is characterized in that the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly further comprises at least a printed circuit board to which the switching device is soldered.

[0007] The wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the present invention is easy and fast to assemble. The wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the present invention allows to save space in its interior.

[0008] In particular, the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly is configured to be installed in a fitting box, preferably configured to be flush-mounted in the fitting box.

[0009] Preferably, the switching device is configured to remain in an open position when the USB socket is devoid of a plug.

[0010] Advantageously, the USB socket is an USB-Type-C socket.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment, the transformer assembly is configured to provide an output voltage between the second pole output terminal and the first pole output terminal comprised between 5 V and 48 V.

[0012] These additional features permit the connection of various devices having different operating voltages to the USB socket.

[0013] Preferably, a source output power of the transformer assembly is comprised between 0.5 W and 240 W.

[0014] These further additional features permit the connection of various devices having different power consumptions to the USB socket.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment, the pushing direction is perpendicular to the front wall.

[0016] Preferably, the microswitch comprises an actuator connected to the pushbutton such that an action on the pushbutton is transferred to the actuator to commute the microswitch.

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment, the actuator is directly and / or rigidly connected to the pushbutton.

[0018] Preferably, the actuator is moveable in an actuating direction which is perpendicular to the front wall and / or parallel to the pushing direction to commute the microswitch.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, the pushbutton is formed as a transmission device transforming an action on the pushbutton in the pushing direction into an action on the actuator in an actuating direction which is different from the pushing direction, preferably nonparallel to the pushing direction.

[0020] These additional features allow to save space within the interior of the USB power outlet assembly.

[0021] Preferably, the actuating direction is parallel to the front wall and / or perpendicular to the pushing direction.

[0022] According to a preferred embodiment, components of the transformer assembly are mechanically fastened and electrically connected to the printed circuit board.

[0023] Preferably, the transformer assembly further comprises a rectifier, a filter, a switching controller, an AC / DC transformer and / or a USB controller connected to one another in cascade.

[0024] Advantageously, the rectifier, the filter, the switching controller, the AC / DC transformer and / or the USB controller are mechanically fastened and electrically connected to the printed circuit board.

[0025] Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram of wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to three embodiments of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an isometric representation of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the first embodiment; Fig. 4 is an isometric representation of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where a cable is connected to a USB socket of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly; Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the first embodiment, where the cable is connected to the USB socket; Fig. 6 is an isometric representation of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the second embodiment; Fig. 8 is an isometric representation of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention, where the cable is connected to the USB socket; Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the second embodiment, where the cable is connected to the USB socket; Fig. 10 is an isometric representation of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the third embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the third embodiment; Fig. 12 is an isometric representation of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the third embodiment of the present invention, where the cable is connected to the USB socket; and Fig. 13 is a cross sectional view of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to the third embodiment, where the cable is connected to the USB socket.

[0027] Referring to the drawings, a wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 according to the invention is preferably configured to be installed in a fitting box, in particular configured to be flush mounted in the fitting box. The wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 according to the invention comprises a housing 20 having a front wall 22 provided with an opening 24, a phase connection terminal 30 for connecting to a phase power line, a neutral connection terminal 32 for connecting to a neutral power line, a transformer assembly 34 having a phase input terminal 40, a neutral input terminal 42, a first pole output terminal 44 and a second pole output terminal 46.

[0028] The wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 further comprises a USB socket 50 arranged within the housing 22 and aligned with the opening 24, a pushbutton 52 protruding from the front wall 22 and arranged in vicinity of the opening 24, and a switching device 54 either connected between the phase connection terminal 30 and the phase input terminal 40 or connected between the neutral connection terminal 32 and the neutral input terminal 42.

[0029] As can be seen in particular in figure 1, according to all three preferred embodiments, the switching device 54 is connected between the phase connection terminal 30 and the phase input terminal 40 of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10.

[0030] The switching device 54 may comprise a casing 56 and a microswitch 58 being commutable by an action on the pushbutton 52 in a pushing direction PD and being enclosed in the casing 56, the casing 56 being attached to the housing 20 and resting against a back side 21 of the front wall 22. In this case, wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 may further comprise a printed circuit board 31. This configuration is in accordance with the first and second embodiments of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10.

[0031] As an alternative, the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 may comprise at least a printed circuit board 31 to which the switching device 54 is soldered. In this case, the switching device 54 may also comprise a casing 56 and a microswitch 58 being commutable by an action on the pushbutton 52 in a pushing direction PD and being enclosed in the casing 56. This configuration is in accordance with the third embodiment of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10.

[0032] The transformer assembly 34 may comprise a plurality of components. These components can for instance be a rectifier 31, a filter 33, a switching controller 35, an AC / DC transformer 36 and / or a USB controller 37 connected to one another in cascade. These components may all or partially be mechanically fastened and electrically connected to the printed circuit board 31.

[0033] The printed circuit board 31 may essentially extend in a plane which is parallel to front wall 22. The printed circuit board 31 may be held within a groove formed in the housing 20. The groove may essentially lie in a plane which is parallel to the front wall 22. As an alternative, the printed circuit board 31 may be attached to the housing 20 by other attachment means.

[0034] As can be seen in particular in figures 2, 6 and 10, according to all three preferred embodiments, the USB socket 50 may be an USB-Type-C socket.

[0035] The transformer assembly 34 is configured to provide an output voltage between the second pole output terminal 46 and the first pole output terminal 44 comprised between 5 V and 48 V. The transformer assembly 34 may further be configured to provide several different output voltages comprised between 5 V and 48 V depending on the device which is connected to the USB socket 50 via a cable 12. The several different output voltages can comprise 5 V, 9 V, 12 V, 15 V, 20 V, 24 V, and / or 48 V.

[0036] A source output power of the transformer assembly 34 can be comprised between 0.5 Wand 240 W.

[0037] The wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 is conform with the USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) specification.

[0038] As can be seen in figures 2 to 12, in accordance with all three preferred embodiments, the pushing direction PD is perpendicular to the front wall 22.

[0039] Preferably, the microswitch 58 comprises an actuator 60 connected to the pushbutton 52 such that an action on the pushbutton 52 is transferred to the actuator 60 to commute the microswitch 58.

[0040] The cable 12 is generally equipped with a plug 14 comprising a plug casing 16. The plug casing 16 comes to rest against an outer surface 55 of the pushbutton 52 when the plug 14 is inserted in the USB socket 50. When the plug 14 is inserted in the USB socket 50, the pushbutton 52 preferably activates the actuator 60 which closes the microswitch 58 of the switching device 54.

[0041] The actuator 60 of the microswitch 58 is preferably spring loaded.

[0042] In accordance with the first and third embodiments, the actuator 60 is directly and / or rigidly connected to the pushbutton 52. The actuator 60 can in particular be moveable in an actuating direction AD which is perpendicular to the front wall 22 and / or parallel to the pushing direction PD to commute the microswitch 58.

[0043] In accordance with the second embodiment, the pushbutton 52 is formed as a transmission device transforming an action on the pushbutton 52 in the pushing direction PD into an action on the actuator 60 in an actuating direction AD which is different from the pushing direction PD, preferably non parallel to the pushing direction PD. Advantageously, the actuating direction AD is parallel to the front wall 22 and / or perpendicular to the pushing direction PD.

[0044] According to the second embodiment, as can be seen in particular in figures 7 and 9, the pushbutton 52 may comprise a tilted surface 53 which is inclined with respect to the actuating direction AD and / or the pushing direction PD. The tilted surface 53 may extend in a plane which is perpendicular to a plane which comprises the actuating direction AD and the pushing direction PD. In particular, the tilted surface 53 may extend in a plane which forms an angle of approximatively 45 degrees with the actuating direction AD and / or the pushing direction PD.

[0045] The pushbutton 52 according to the second embodiment can comprise a spring 51 which urges the pushbutton 52 towards the front wall 22 such that the outer surface 55 of the pushbutton emerges from the front wall 22 through the opening 24. As can be seen in figures 7 and 9, the spring 51 may rest against and / or be fixed to the printed circuit board 31.

[0046] The housing 20 of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 according to all three embodiments consists of two halves 20a, 20b, namely a top half 20a and a bottom half 20b. The front wall 22 is a part of the top half 20a. Preferably, the groove holding the printed circuit board 31 is formed in the top half 20a, further preferably in a sidewall 22a of the top half 20a. Depending on industrial constraints for example, the printed circuit board 31 may also be attached to the bottom half 20b. One possibility would be to attach the printed circuit board 31 to the bottom half 20b via a groove formed in the bottom half 20b, preferably formed in a side wall of the bottom half 20b.

[0047] The wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 according to the first and second embodiments is assembled by attaching the casing 56 of the switching device 54 to the housing 20, preferably to the top half 20a of the housing 20, further preferably to the front wall 22 of the housing 20. Subsequently, the printed circuit board 31 is attached to the housing 20, preferably to the top half 20a of the housing 20. The printed circuit board 31 is attached to the housing 20 by inserting the printed circuit board 31 into the groove. In a further subsequent step, both halves 20a, 20b are assembled, preferably by means of a snap fit connection and / or laser welding.

[0048] The wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 according to the third embodiment is assembled by soldering the switching device 54 to the printed circuit board 31 and subsequently attaching the printed circuit board 31 to the housing 20, preferably to the top half 20a of the housing 20. Advantageously, the printed circuit board 31 is then attached to the housing 20 by inserting the printed circuit board 31 into the groove. In a further subsequent step, both halves 20a, 20b are assembled, preferably by means of a snap fit connection and / or laser welding.

[0049] Depending on industrial constraints for example, the printed circuit board 31 may also be attached to the bottom half 20b before assembling both halves 20a, 20b, preferably by inserting the printed circuit board into the groove formed in the bottom half 20b.

[0050] In accordance with all three preferred embodiments of the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10, once the housing 20 is assembled according to one of the previously mentioned methods, the housing 20 may be inserted into a frame (not shown in the figures). The frame is preferably made of metal, plastic or a combination thereof. The frame can serve as a means for fitting the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 into the fitting box.

[0051] The wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 is connected to an electrical supply system of a building by connecting a phase power line of the electrical supply system to the phase connection terminal 30 and by connecting a neutral power line of the electrical supply system to the neutral connection terminal 32.

[0052] The wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 may then be fitted to into the fitting box.

[0053] The electrical supply system is preferably a supply system supplying alternating current.

[0054] After the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 has been connected to the electrical supply system, the switching device 54, more particularly the microswitch 58 of the switching device 54 remains open while the USB socket 50 is devoid of a plug 14, i.e., no plug 14 is present in the USB socket 50. The wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly 10 is in a so called "normally off" state.

[0055] When a plug 14 is inserted into the USB socket 50, the pushbutton 52 is pushed in the pushing direction PD, thereby acting on the actuator 60 in the actuating direction AD, which closes the switching device 54 and / or the microswitch 58 of the switching device 54 to power the transformer assembly 34 and to apply a voltage to the USB socket 50.

Claims

1. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly, comprising a housing (20) having a front wall (22) provided with an opening (24), a phase connection terminal (30) for connecting to a phase power line, a neutral connection terminal (32) for connecting to a neutral power line, a transformer assembly (34) having a phase input terminal (40), a neutral input terminal (42), a first pole output terminal (44) and a second pole output terminal (46), the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly (10) further comprising a USB socket (50) arranged within the housing (20) and aligned with the opening (24), a pushbutton (52) protruding from the front wall (22) and arranged in vicinity of the opening (24), and a switching device (54) either connected between the phase connection terminal (30) and the phase input terminal (40) or connected between the neutral connection terminal (32) and the neutral input terminal (42), characterized in that the switching device (54) comprises a casing (56) and a microswitch (58) being commutable by an action on the pushbutton (52) in a pushing direction (PD) and being enclosed in the casing (56), the casing (56) being attached to the housing (20) and resting against a back side (21) of the front wall (22), or characterized in that the wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly (10) further comprises at least a printed circuit board (31) to which the switching device (54) is soldered.

2. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the switching device (54) is configured to remain in an open position when the USB socket (50) is devoid of a plug (14).

3. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the USB socket (50) is an USB-Type -C socket.

4. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to any one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the transformer assembly (34) is configured to provide an output voltage between the second pole output terminal (46) and the first pole output terminal (44) comprised between 5 V and 48 V.

5. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a source output power of the transformer assembly (34) is comprised between 0.5 W and 240 W.

6. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to any one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the pushing direction (PD) is perpendicular to the front wall (22).

7. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to any one of the claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the microswitch (58) comprises an actuator (60) connected to the pushbutton (52) such that an action on the pushbutton (52) is transferred to the actuator (60) to commute the microswitch (58).

8. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that the actuator (60) is directly and / or rigidly connected to the pushbutton (52).

9. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to any one of the claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the actuator (60) is moveable in an actuating direction (AD) which is perpendicular to the front wall (22) and / or parallel to the pushing direction (PD) to commute the microswitch (58).

10. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that the pushbutton (52) is formed as a transmission device transforming an action on the pushbutton (52) in the pushing direction (PD) into an action on the actuator (60) in an actuating direction (AD) which is different from the pushing direction (PD), preferably non parallel to the pushing direction (PD).

11. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to claim 10, characterized in that the actuating direction (AD) is parallel to the front wall (22) and / or perpendicular to the pushing direction (PD).

12. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to any one of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that components of the transformer assembly (34) are mechanically fastened and electrically connected to the printed circuit board (31).

13. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to any one of the claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the transformer assembly (34) further comprises a rectifier (31), a filter (33), a switching controller (35), an AC / DC transformer (36) and / or a USB controller (37) connected to one another in cascade.

14. Wall-mounted USB power outlet assembly according to a combination of claims 12 and 13, characterized in that the rectifier (31), the filter (33), the switching controller (35), the AC / DC transformer (36) and / or the USB controller (37) are mechanically fastened and electrically connected to the printed circuit board (31).

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