Outlet

Abstract

To provide a compact outlet with reduced lateral size.SOLUTION: An outlet 100 includes a cover 10 having a plug socket 11, a holder 20 attached to the cover 10, and a shutter 30 located behind the plug socket 11. The shutter 30 moves rearward from a closed position C where the plug socket 11 is closed to an open position P where the plug socket 11 is opened. The shutter 30 has a rotating shaft 31 that is rotatably supported by the holder 20. The shutter 30 rotates rearward about a rotating axis 31a of the rotating shaft 31.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a socket. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been electrical outlets having a shutter structure that allows the plug socket to be opened and closed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-148286 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional outlet shutter structures are designed to move and retract the shutter that closes the plug socket horizontally when the plug is inserted into the socket. This requires space in the holder that supports the shutter structure to retract the shutter horizontally. This places a limit on how much the socket can be reduced in size horizontally.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to provide a compact outlet having a reduced lateral size. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The means for solving the above problems are as follows. (1) An electrical outlet according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a cover having a plug socket, a holder attached to the cover, and a shutter located behind the plug socket, the shutter moving rearward from a closed position blocking the plug socket to an open position opening the plug socket, the shutter having a pivot shaft supported by the holder so as to be freely rotatable, and the shutter pivoting rearward about the center of the pivot shaft. (2) In the above (1), the shutter may have a spring that urges the shutter forward so as to move from the open position to the closed position. (3) In the above (2), the spring may be supported by a spring support shaft provided on the shutter, and the rotation axis of the shutter and the spring support axis of the spring support shaft may be offset. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a compact outlet having a reduced lateral size can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the outlet. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the outlet. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of the shutter and holder in a closed position. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a front view of the shutter and holder in the closed position. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a rear view of the shutter and holder in the closed position. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of the shutter and holder in an open position. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a front view of the shutter and holder in the open position. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a rear view of the shutter and holder in the open position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, an outlet 100 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the outlet 100. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the outlet 100. FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the shutter 30 and the holder 20 in the closed position C. FIG. 4 is a front view of the shutter 30 and the holder 20 in the closed position C. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the shutter 30 and the holder 20 in the closed position C. FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the shutter 30 and the holder 20 in the open position P. FIG. 7 is a front view of the shutter 30 and the holder 20 in the open position P. FIG. 8 is a rear view of the shutter 30 and the holder 20 in the open position P. In FIGS. 3 to 8, the cover 10, the blade receiver 41, and the earth connection portion 42 are omitted. In the following description, the up-down direction and the left-right direction may be collectively referred to as the lateral direction.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the outlet 100 according to the embodiment is a plug receptacle (also called an outlet socket or receptacle) for an attachment connector into which an attachment plug (not shown) is inserted and removed. The outlet 100 is used, for example, in a state where it is connected to indoor wiring and embedded in a wall. An attachment plug can be inserted from front to back into the outlet 100 and removed from back to front. The outlet 100 is passed through a blade provided on the attachment plug and an appropriately provided ground electrode, so that the outlet 100 and the attachment plug can be electrically and mechanically connected. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the outlet 100 has a plug connection portion 40. The plug connection portion 40 has a blade receiver 41 that receives the blades of the attachment plug. The plug connection portion 40 has an appropriate earth connection portion 42. The plug connection portion 40 is connected to the indoor wiring. The outlet 100 may be a so-called three-pin plug socket type having a blade receiver 41 of a locking type having an earth connection portion 42. The retaining blade receiver 41 is configured so that when the blades on the plug are inserted into the blade receiver 41 of the outlet 100 and then rotated about the insertion direction, the blades are locked in the blade receiver 41, preventing the blades from falling out of the blade receiver 41.

[0011] The outlet 100 comprises a cover 10 having a plug socket 11, a holder 20 attached to the cover 10, and a shutter 30 located behind the plug socket 11.

[0012] The cover 10 has blade sockets 111 through which the blades of the attachment plug are passed, and, if necessary, a ground socket 112 through which the ground pole of the attachment plug is passed. A holder 20 is attached to the rear of the cover 10. The attachment plug faces the front of the cover 10.

[0013] 2, the holder 20 is attached to the rear of the cover 10. The holder 20 has a frame extending rearward along the outer shape of the cover 10. The holder 20 supports the plug connection portion 40 (the blade receiver 41 and the earth connection portion 42) in a state in which the plug connection portion 40 is disposed within a space formed inside the frame.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 3, the holder 20 supports the shutter 30 so that it can rotate freely. Specifically, for example, a cylindrical rotating shaft 31 formed on the shutter 30 is supported in a state of surface contact by a bearing 21 formed on the holder 20 and having an inner shape that is the same as the cylindrical shape of the rotating shaft 31. This allows the shutter 30 to rotate around the rotating shaft 31. The bearing 21 is arranged in a direction away from the center of the outlet 100 based on the plug socket 11 (the blade socket 111 or the earth socket 112) provided on the corresponding cover 10. This allows the shutter 30 to be arranged closer to the center of the outlet 100 than the bearing 21, and the movement range of the shutter 30 to be limited to within the space behind the plug socket 11 provided on the cover 10. In other words, the shutter 30 can be prevented from moving in a direction away from the center of the outlet 100 from the bearing 21 of the rotating shaft 31. Therefore, when the attachment plug is inserted into the outlet 100, no space is required for retracting the shutter 30 in a direction away from the center of the outlet 100, so the lateral size of the outlet 100 can be reduced and the outlet 100 can be made compact.

[0015] The shutter 30 is positioned behind the cover 10 so as to individually cover and close the blade sockets 111 and the earth socket 112 provided in the cover 10.

[0016] 3 and 4, when the attachment plug has a pair of blades, the blade socket 111 is a pair of openings, and the shutter 30 has two shutters, a first shutter 30A and a second shutter 30B, corresponding to the pair of openings. When the attachment plug has a ground electrode, the earth socket 112 is a single opening, and the shutter 30 has a third shutter 30C corresponding to the opening. The first shutter 30A and the second shutter 30B function to cover and close the blade receiver 111 and therefore have a shape that corresponds to the shape of the blade receiver 111 but is slightly larger than the blade receiver 111. The third shutter 30C functions to cover and close the earth socket 112, and therefore has a shape that is slightly larger than the shape of the blade socket 111 that corresponds to the shape of the earth socket 112. The shutter 30 may be in the shape of a flat plate.

[0017] The shutter 30 has a pivot 31 that is pivotally supported by the holder 20. While supported by the holder 20, the shutter 30 is pivotable between a closed position C (see FIGS. 3 to 5) and an open position P (see FIGS. 6 to 8). The shutter 30 is disposed closer to the center of the outlet 100 than the bearing 21 that supports the pivot 31. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the shutter 30 is in the closed position C, the shutter 30 is positioned so as to cover and close the blade receptacle 111 and the earth receptacle 112 from the rear. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the shutter 30 is in the open position P, the shutter 30 is positioned so as to open the rear of the blade receptacle 111 and the earth receptacle 112 to expose the blade receiver 41 and the earth connection 42 inside the outlet 100. This makes it possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the inside of the outlet 100 through the blade receptacle 111 and the earth receptacle 112 when no attachment plug is inserted into the outlet 100. When an attachment plug is inserted into the outlet 100, the shutter 30 is pushed rearward by the blades or ground electrode of the attachment plug, connecting the blades to the blade receivers 41 and connecting the ground electrode to the earth connection portion 42. Furthermore, because the pivot shaft 31 of the shutter 30 is supported by the holder 20, the shutter 30 can be provisionally assembled to the holder 20 and then the outlet 100 can be assembled using this assembly, improving ease of assembly.

[0018] Here, the shutter 30 moves backward from a closed position C (see Figs. 3 to 5) where the plug socket 11 is closed to an open position P (see Figs. 6 to 8) where the plug socket 11 is opened. This allows the movement range of the shutter 30 to be closer to the center of the outlet 100 than the bearing 21 of the rotating shaft 31. In other words, the shutter 30 can be prevented from moving in a direction away from the center of the outlet 100 than the bearing 21 of the rotating shaft 31. Also, the movement range of the shutter 30 can be limited to within the space behind the plug socket 11 provided in the cover 10. Therefore, since no space is required for retracting the shutter 30 in a direction away from the center of the outlet 100 when the plug is inserted into the outlet 100, the lateral size of the outlet 100 can be reduced, making the outlet 100 compact.

[0019] More specifically, as shown by the outlined arrow in Fig. 6, the shutter 30 rotates rearward about the rotation axis 31a of the rotation shaft 31. In other words, the shutter 30 is adapted to swing about the rotation shaft 31 so as to open and close a hinged door. This makes it possible to limit the movement range of the shutter 30 to the range behind the plug socket 11 in which it rotates about the rotation shaft 31. This makes it possible to reduce the lateral size of the outlet 100, making the outlet 100 more compact.

[0020] The shutter 30 has a spring 32 that biases it forward so that it can move from the open position P to the closed position C. This allows the shutter 30 to function in such a way that when no plug is inserted into the outlet 100, the restoring force of the spring 32 positions the shutter 30 at the closed position C, when a plug is inserted, the resilient force of the spring 32 applies a slight resistance to the shutter 30 while allowing it to rotate to the open position P, and when the plug is removed, the restoring force of the spring 32 returns the shutter 30 to the closed position C.

[0021] The restoring force (resilient force) of the spring 32 acts on the rear surface of the shutter 30. This allows the spring 32 to be disposed in the space behind the shutter 30. This allows the outlet 100 to be made compact.

[0022] In detail, the spring 32 is supported by a spring support shaft 33 provided on the shutter 30. The spring support shaft 33 is provided on the back surface of the shutter 30. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the rotation axis 31a of the shutter 30 (rotation axis 31) and the spring support axis 33a of the spring support shaft 33 are offset by a deviation e. In other words, the rotation axis 31a and the spring support axis 33a are not coaxial. As a result, the spring 32 presses the spring support shaft 33, so that a moment about the rotation axis 31 can be effectively applied to the shutter 30. Note that the deviation e does not have to be the same for the first shutter 30A, the second shutter 30B, and the third shutter 30C.

[0023] The spring 32 is preferably a helical spring. In particular, the spring 32 preferably has one end, the other end, and a helical portion formed therebetween. The one end of the spring 32 is preferably engaged with the holder 20, the other end with the shutter 30, and the helical portion wound around the spring support shaft 33 of the shutter 30. The one end of the spring 32 may be engaged so as to be guided by a groove formed in the holder 20 along the front-rear direction. The other end of the spring 32 may be engaged at the center of the back surface of the shutter 30 away from the pivot shaft 31. In this way, since the spring 32 is a helical spring, the helical portion can be in a state in which a relatively large tension is applied (the helix is ​​tighter) when the shutter 30 is in the open position P than when it is in the closed position C.

[0024] The spring 32 is preferably a helical spring supported by a spring support shaft 33 that is offset from the pivot shaft 31. This allows the restoring force of the spiral portion to apply a torque to the shutter 30 to rotate it from the open position P to the closed position C, while at the same time applying a moment about the pivot shaft 31 due to the offset. This allows the biasing force required to move the shutter 30 to the closed position C to be effectively applied, the structure of the spring 32 itself to be compact, the structure of the shutter 30 to be compact, and the outlet 100 to be compact.

[0025] As described above, the outlet 100 according to the embodiment includes the cover 10 having the plug socket 11, the holder 20 attached to the cover 10, and the shutter 30 located behind the plug socket 11. Here, the shutter 30 moves backward from the closed position C where the plug socket 11 is closed to the open position P where the plug socket 11 is opened. The shutter 30 has a rotating shaft 31 rotatably supported by the holder 20, and the shutter 30 rotates backward about the rotating shaft center 31a of the rotating shaft 31. This allows the movement range of the shutter 30 to be closer to the center of the outlet 100 than the bearing 21 of the rotating shaft 31. In other words, the shutter 30 can be prevented from moving in a direction away from the center of the outlet 100 beyond the bearing 21 of the rotating shaft 31. The movement range of the shutter 30 can be limited to within the space behind the plug socket 11 provided in the cover 10. Therefore, when the attachment plug is inserted into the outlet 100, no space is required for retracting the shutter 30 in a direction away from the center of the outlet 100, so the lateral size of the outlet 100 can be reduced, making the outlet 100 more compact. Also, because the rotation shaft 31 of the shutter 30 is supported by the holder 20, the shutter 30 can be temporarily assembled to the holder 20 and then the outlet 100 can be assembled using this assembly, improving ease of assembly.

[0026] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0027] In addition, the components in the above-described embodiment may be replaced with known components as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-described modified examples may be combined as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 100 outlets 10. Cover 11 Plug socket 111 Plug blade socket 112 Earth socket 20 Holder 21 Bearings 30 Shutter 30A 1st shutter 30B Second shutter 30C 3rd Shutter 31 Rotating shaft 31a Rotation axis center 32 Spring 33 Spring support shaft 33a Spring support shaft center 40 Plug connection 41 Bung blade holder 42 Earth connection C Closed position P open position e Deviation

Claims

1. A cover having a plug socket, a holder attached to the cover, and a shutter located behind the plug socket, the shutter moves rearward from a closed position that closes the plug socket to an open position that opens the plug socket, the shutter has a rotation shaft rotatably supported by the holder, The shutter rotates rearward about the rotation axis of the rotation shaft. Electrical outlet.

2. The shutter has a spring biasing it forward so that it can move from the open position to the closed position.

2. The outlet according to claim 1.

3. The spring is supported by a spring support shaft provided on the shutter, The rotation axis of the shutter and the spring support axis of the spring support shaft are offset from each other.

3. The outlet according to claim 2.

Images