Wiring instrument supplying power

Abstract

To prevent a high voltage from being generated when moisture is deposited in a periphery of a circuit disposed in the vicinity of a receptacle connector and suppress heating of an electronic component when connecting a plug connector in a wiring instrument comprising the receptacle connector which is opened upward.SOLUTION: A wiring instrument 2 supplying power includes a housing, in which circuits and a receptacle connector are stored, a control section and a moisture detection section. The circuits include a voltage conversion circuit including a transformer, and a power output circuit which applies a voltage after voltage conversion to a terminal side by connecting a switch. The moisture detection section detects moisture existing in at least one of an internal part of a guidance section and an outside portion of the guidance section within the housing. When a moisture detection signal is inputted from the moisture detection section, the control section controls the switch and the transformer in such a manner that the voltage to be applied to the terminal side is maintained at a predetermined voltage lower than that at a normal time in a state where the switch is cut off or the switch is connected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wiring device that supplies power, such as a wiring device having a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a USB outlet is widely known as a wiring device for supplying DC power to electronic devices such as smartphones, tablet terminals, and notebook computers. A wiring device for supplying power such as a USB outlet includes a board on which electronic components are mounted, a terminal for outputting power such as DC power, and a housing surrounding the board and the terminal. The electronic components include, for example, a power conversion component for converting AC power into DC power, and an output circuit component for outputting the DC power from the terminal. The electronic components may also include an output circuit component for outputting the voltage-converted AC power from the terminal. These electronic components are distributed and disposed on a plurality of boards, or disposed on one board. A terminal for outputting power is connected to the upper side of the board on which the output circuit component is mounted. The wiring device is also provided with a receptacle connector having a cylindrical guide portion and a terminal inside the guide portion. The receptacle connector guides a plug connector for connecting a terminal, which is inserted from the outside, to the terminal by the guide portion.

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a wiring device in which a cover is provided on the outside of the wiring device so as to cover an insertion port into which a plug connector is inserted. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-44914 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6491231 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When the wiring device is installed on a top plate of a fixture or the like, an insertion port through which the plug connector can be inserted from above may be opened upward on the top of the wiring device so that the plug connector can be inserted into the wiring device from above and connected to a terminal. The insertion port may be an insertion port provided on the top of the housing and an upper end of the guide part of the receptacle connector, both of which open upward.

[0006] However, in a wiring device with an insertion port facing upward, if a container containing liquid containing moisture falls onto the top surface of the tabletop or the like, the liquid may enter the housing through the insertion port and reach the electronic components on the circuit board inside the housing. If electricity is applied in this state, this may cause problems such as failure of the electronic components.

[0007] In addition, there are cases where the circuit arranged inside the housing includes a transformer that converts the primary voltage to a secondary voltage and outputs the converted voltage from the power output circuit to the terminal of the receptacle connector. In such cases, liquids are likely to enter the power output circuit, which is likely to be arranged near the receptacle connector, and therefore, when a high voltage is applied to this circuit, there is a high possibility that malfunctions will occur in the electronic components of the circuit.

[0008] Conventionally, when a switch is provided in the power output circuit and a voltage is output from the transformer side to the terminal by connecting the switch, the control unit may control the switch to be connected only when the plug connector is connected to the receptacle connector. In this case, even if liquid does not enter the power output circuit, when liquid enters the guide portion of the receptacle connector, current tends to flow through the liquid between the two contact pins of the terminal. For this reason, a high current continues to flow through the power output circuit when the plug connector is connected, which causes the electronic components to heat up.

[0009] For this reason, in a wiring device having a receptacle connector that opens upward, it is desirable to prevent the generation of high voltage when moisture adheres to the circuit located near the receptacle connector, and to suppress heat generation of electronic components when the plug connector is connected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] One aspect of the present disclosure is a wiring device for supplying power that includes a housing for accommodating a circuit and a receptacle connector, a control unit, and a moisture detection unit. The receptacle connector has a bottomed, cylindrical guide portion that opens upward, and a terminal that is arranged inside the guide portion and outputs power. The circuit has a voltage conversion circuit that converts a primary side voltage to a secondary side voltage using a transformer, and a power output circuit that applies the converted voltage to the terminal side by connecting a switch. The moisture detection unit detects moisture present inside at least one of the inside of the guide portion and the outer portion of the guide portion within the housing. The control unit connects the switch when a plug connector is connected to the receptacle connector, and when a moisture detection signal is input from the moisture detection unit, the control unit closes the switch or controls the switch and the transformer so as to maintain the voltage applied to the secondary side at a preset minimum voltage. This is a wiring device for supplying power. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, in a configuration having a receptacle connector that opens upward, when moisture is detected in at least one of the receptacle connector and the outer portion of the receptacle connector, the switch is shut off or the voltage applied to the secondary side in the connected state of the switch is maintained at a preset minimum voltage. This makes it possible to prevent high voltage from being generated when moisture adheres to the vicinity of the power output circuit disposed near the receptacle connector into which liquid containing moisture is likely to penetrate. In addition, when the plug connector is connected, it is possible to prevent a high current from constantly flowing to the power output circuit via moisture in the receptacle connector. This makes it possible to suppress heat generation in electronic components of the power output circuit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a power outlet using a wiring device for supplying power according to a first embodiment is used. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a wiring fixture for supplying power according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic diagram of the inside of a guide portion of a receptacle connector viewed from above in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a circuit arranged in a housing in the first embodiment, showing a state in which a plug connector is not connected. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a circuit arranged inside a housing in the first embodiment, showing a state in which a plug connector is connected and a switch is turned off upon detection of moisture. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a circuit arranged within a housing in the first embodiment, showing a case where a plug connector is connected, and a switch is closed upon detection of moisture, so that the voltage applied to the secondary side is maintained at a predetermined minimum voltage. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 6 and illustrating an inconvenience of the wiring device of the comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a wiring device for supplying power according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the scope of the present disclosure includes configurations obtained by selectively combining the respective components of the multiple embodiments and modified examples described below.

[0014] [First embodiment] A wiring device 2 for supplying power according to a first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 5. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an outlet 1 incorporating a wiring device 2 is in use. Note that, although a wiring device 2 for supplying DC power will be described below as a wiring device for supplying power, the wiring device of the present disclosure can also be a wiring device for supplying AC power.

[0015] As shown in Fig. 1, the outlet 1 is a wiring device including two wiring devices 2 for supplying DC power and one power outlet device 3, and is installed on a table top 100 of a desk, which is a piece of furniture. In this state, an insertion opening 2b for inserting a plug connector 102, which is provided in a housing (to be described later) constituting each wiring device 2, opens facing upward. At this time, a cylindrical guide portion with a bottom of a receptacle connector (to be described later) constituting each wiring device 2 opens facing upward and is configured to guide the plug connector 102 to a terminal provided inside the guide portion.

[0016] The outlet 1 has a decorative plate 4 with three openings 4a arranged horizontally, and the wiring device 2 and the upper surfaces 2a, 3a of the power outlet device 3 are exposed through the three openings 4a of the decorative plate 4.

[0017] The decorative plate 4 is a plate having a rectangular outer shape when viewed from the front, and covers the installation hole formed in the top plate 100 and the mounting frame installed around the installation hole so that they cannot be seen. The outlet 1 includes, for example, a frame-shaped metal plate that is screwed to the mounting frame. The decorative plate 4 is fixed to the metal plate, for example, by hooking a claw formed on the back surface of the decorative plate 4 into the hole in the metal plate.

[0018] The outlet 1 is installed with the wiring device 2 and the power outlet device 3 inserted into an installation hole formed in the top plate 100. On the top surface of the outlet 1, only top surfaces 2a, 3a of the wiring device 2 and the power outlet device 3 are exposed from an opening 4a in the decorative plate 4. As will be described in detail later, the wiring device 2 includes electronic components such as a power conversion component that converts AC power into DC power, and a receptacle connector including a terminal that outputs the DC power, and is installed on the top plate 100 with the insertion port 2b facing upward.

[0019] 1, two wiring devices 2 are disposed adjacent to each other. In the outlet, the relative positions of the wiring devices 2 and the power outlet device 3 are not particularly limited, and the number of wiring devices 2 is also not particularly limited. Furthermore, an outlet equipped with a wiring device 2 may be equipped with an optical outlet, a LAN outlet, a telephone line outlet, etc., instead of the power outlet device 3, or may be equipped with only the wiring device 2.

[0020] For ease of explanation, the present specification uses terms indicating the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions for the outlet 1, the wiring device 2, and each of the components of the wiring device 2. The front-rear direction means a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the slot-shaped insertion opening 2b of the wiring device 2. The up-down direction is a direction along the vertical direction, and the left-right direction is a direction perpendicular to the up-down and front-rear directions. In this example, the up-down direction is the direction in which the plug connector 102 is inserted into and removed from the wiring device 2. Furthermore, the up-down direction means the up-down direction when the wiring device is in use, and does not restrict the direction when the wiring device is not in use, such as when it is assembled.

[0021] An example of the wiring device 2 is a USB outlet device. The USB outlet device is a device to which a plug connector 102, which is a USB connector, can be connected, includes a power conversion component that converts AC power to DC power, and supplies DC power to an electronic device 101 such as a smartphone. In FIG. 1, the plug connector 102 of a cable 103 extending from the electronic device 101 is connected to the wiring device 2. In this embodiment, the wiring device 2 will be described as being a USB outlet device. The power outlet device 3 is a general outlet device that outputs AC power of 100V or 200V. On the top surface of the outlet 1, two insertion ports 2b for the wiring device 2 and an insertion port 3b for the power outlet device 3 are provided side by side in the left-right direction.

[0022] In this specification, USB includes various generations (standards of transfer speed) of USB, such as USB1.0, USB1.1, USB2.0, USB3.0, USB3.1, USB3.2, USB4, etc. Furthermore, the shape of the USB terminal is not particularly limited, and may be any of A terminal, B terminal, C terminal, mini USB, micro USB, etc. Furthermore, in the example shown in Fig. 1, the outlet 1 including the wiring device 2 is installed on the table top 100, but the wiring device 2 may be installed on furniture such as a shelf, a counter table, or a bed, or on vehicles such as an automobile, an airplane, or a railroad car.

[0023] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the wiring device 2, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2. In Figs. 2 and 3, the front-rear direction of the wiring device 2 is indicated by X, the left-right direction by Y, and the up-down direction by Z.

[0024] 2 and 3, the wiring device 2 includes a lower housing 20 and an upper housing 30 as housings 10 that form the external shape of the device. The wiring device 2 has an external shape that is generally rectangular, with the vertical length > horizontal length > front-rear length. Note that the relationship in magnitude between the vertical length, horizontal length, and front-rear length of the wiring device 2 is not limited to this.

[0025] The housing 10 has internal spaces 70 and 71 that house the primary circuit board 40, the secondary circuit board 50, and the receptacle connector 52, which are shown in Fig. 3. The internal space of the housing is divided into two internal spaces 70 and 71 by a partition 24 and a sealing member 72. For example, the sealing member 72 is an elastic member such as rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer, and is compressed so as to fill the gap between the partition 24 and the inner surface of the housing. This makes it possible to prevent the liquid from entering the internal space below the partition 24, even if liquid such as water enters the upper internal space.

[0026] The housing 10 is composed of a lower housing 20 having a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 21 and a bottom portion 22 that closes the lower end of the peripheral wall portion 21, and an upper housing 30 that is assembled and fixed to the lower housing 20 so as to cover the upper end.

[0027] The lower housing 20 is a box-like rectangular parallelepiped with an open upper end and a closed lower end. The upper housing 30 is fixed to the lower housing 20 by a fitting structure so as to be freely separable. As a result, the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 20 are assembled in a predetermined assembly direction corresponding to the up-down direction during use. Therefore, the lower housing 20 and the upper housing 30 are separably integrated along the predetermined assembly direction to form the housing 10. At least one of the lower housing 20 and the upper housing 30 may be formed by connecting two members separated in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction of the housing 10. In this case, after the two members are connected, they are assembled to other members constituting the housing in a predetermined assembly direction. For example, the lower housing is formed by connecting two members separated in the front-rear direction or the left-right direction, and after the two members are connected to form the lower housing, the lower housing and the upper housing are assembled in a predetermined assembly direction.

[0028] The lower housing 20 and the upper housing 30 may be fixed by a snap-fit ​​structure. The snap-fit ​​structure is configured such that, for example, when fixing the lower housing 20 and the upper housing 30, a pair of fixing pieces extend from both ends in the left-right or front-back direction of one of the lower housing 20 and the upper housing 30 toward the outer surface of the other member, and projections protruding from the outer surface of the other member are engaged with openings formed in each fixing piece, thereby sandwiching and fixing the other member from both sides with the pair of fixing pieces.

[0029] An insertion opening 2b for inserting a plug connector 102 for terminal connection is formed to penetrate vertically at the top of the upper housing 30. The surface of the upper housing 30 becomes the upper surface 2a of the wiring device 2 in the outlet 1. That is, the wiring device 2 is fixed to the mounting frame of the outlet 1 so that the surface of the upper housing 30 having the insertion opening 2b is exposed from the opening 4a of the decorative plate 4.

[0030] The wiring device 2 also includes a primary circuit board 40 mounted with electronic components including power conversion components that convert the primary side voltage to the secondary side voltage and convert AC power to DC power, a receptacle connector 52 that outputs DC power, and two upper and lower secondary circuit boards 50a, 50b mounted with electronic components including output circuit components that output DC power.

[0031] 3, primary circuit board 40 has printed circuit board 41 and electronic components including power conversion components arranged on printed circuit board 41. Secondary circuit boards 50a and 50b have printed circuit boards 51a and 51b and electronic components including output circuit components arranged on printed circuit board 51a. Receptacle connector 52 is a USB terminal, and is connected to the upper side of printed circuit board 51b of lower secondary circuit board 50b and mounted on printed circuit board 51b.

[0032] The two secondary circuit boards 50a, 50b are electrically connected to each other. The two secondary circuit boards 50a, 50b include the secondary circuit board 50a arranged in an outer ring shape so as to surround the receptacle connector 52 in the internal space 70 inside the housing 10, and the secondary circuit board 50b arranged in the center in the left-right direction.

[0033] In this example, the secondary circuit board is divided into two parts, an upper part and an lower part. This allows electronic components that are likely to fail due to water ingress, such as electrolytic capacitor 90, to be arranged on upper secondary circuit board 50a, and the lower end of receptacle connector 52 to be connected to lower secondary circuit board 50b. Therefore, even if liquid containing moisture infiltrates near the outer periphery of receptacle connector 52, water ingress into electronic components included in upper secondary circuit board 50a can be suppressed. In the following description, secondary circuit boards 50a and 50b will be collectively referred to as secondary circuit board 50 as necessary.

[0034] The printed circuit boards 41, 51 of each board 40, 50 are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction Z. The lower housing 20 surrounds the printed circuit board 41 of the primary circuit board 40 and the electronic components arranged on the printed circuit board 41, the printed circuit boards 51a, 51b of the secondary circuit boards 50a, 50b and the electronic components arranged on the printed circuit board 51b, and the lower end of the receptacle connector 52. The upper housing 30 surrounds the upper end of the receptacle connector 52.

[0035] In such a wiring device 2, the insertion port 2b opens upward, and in a receptacle connector 52 described later, a cylindrical guide portion 53 that guides the plug connector 102 to a terminal 54 opens upward. As a result, when a container falls over on the top surface of the top plate 100, liquid containing moisture easily enters the housing 10 inside the insertion port 2b. As a result, moisture easily adheres to a circuit near the receptacle connector 52 in the housing 10. In addition, moisture easily enters the guide portion 53 of the receptacle connector 52. For this reason, if moisture adheres to a power output circuit 120 described later, which is a circuit that is likely to be arranged near the receptacle connector 52, and a high voltage is applied, there is a high possibility that a malfunction will occur in the electronic components of the circuit. The power output circuit 120 is provided on the secondary circuit boards 50a and 50b. Furthermore, as described below, if a switch is provided in the power output circuit 120 and the voltage of the power output circuit 120 is output to the terminal 54 by connecting the switch when the plug connector 102 is connected, a high current will continue to flow through the power output circuit 120 at all times, which will cause the electronic components to heat up.

[0036] In this embodiment, in order to eliminate such inconvenience, a moisture detection unit 80 (see FIG. 5 described later) that detects moisture present inside at least one of the inside of the guide unit 53 and the outer portion of the guide unit 53 inside the housing 10, and a control unit 110 (see FIG. 5 described later) are provided. When a moisture detection signal is input from the moisture detection unit 80, the control unit 110 controls the switch and the transformer 43 provided on the primary circuit board 40 so as to cut off the switch or to keep the voltage applied to the secondary side at a predetermined minimum voltage value with the switch connected. This will be described in detail below.

[0037] Hereinafter, each component of the wiring device 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5 as appropriate. [Primary circuit board] As shown in FIG. 3, the primary circuit board 40 is a printed wiring board including electronic components arranged on a printed circuit board 41. The primary circuit board 40 is a power supply circuit for converting AC power supplied from an external commercial power source 104 into DC current and outputting the DC current to the receptacle connector 52 side of the secondary circuit board 50, and includes a voltage conversion circuit 130 for converting a primary side voltage to a secondary side voltage. The voltage conversion circuit 130 is configured by electrically connecting power conversion components by wiring formed on the surface and inside of the printed circuit board 41. The primary circuit board 40 is provided with a terminal connected to the commercial power source 104. The voltage conversion circuit 130 has a primary side circuit A1 which is the connection side of the commercial power source of the transformer 43 described later. The primary side circuit A1 is connected to a secondary side circuit A2 via the transformer 43 as described later.

[0038] The primary circuit board 40 includes a semiconductor element 42, a transformer 43, a common mode coil (not shown), an electrolytic capacitor, etc. as broadly defined power conversion components constituting the voltage conversion circuit 130. The semiconductor element 42 includes, for example, a switching element, a diode, a transistor, etc. In FIG. 3, the semiconductor element 42 and the transformer 43 are arranged on the first surface (upper surface in FIG. 3) of the printed circuit board 41, but the semiconductor element 42 may be arranged on the second surface (lower surface in FIG. 3) of the printed circuit board 41, and the arrangement of the electronic components is not limited thereto. The transformer 43 is used to step down the voltage of the secondary side circuit A2 from the voltage of the primary side circuit A1.

[0039] The primary circuit board 40 may be fixed to the inner surface of the lower housing 20 via a member not shown. For example, the primary circuit board 40 may be fixed to the lower housing 20 in a state in which a heat dissipation member made of a material with high thermal conductivity is sandwiched between both ends in the left-right direction Y of the printed circuit board 41 of the primary circuit board 40 and the inner surface of the lower housing 20. This can improve the heat dissipation of electronic components mounted on the primary circuit board 40 when the lower housing 20 is formed from a material with high heat dissipation properties such as metal.

[0040] [Secondary circuit board] Secondary circuit boards 50a, 50b are printed wiring boards including a power output circuit 120 arranged on printed circuit boards 51a, 51a, and a receptacle connector 52 described below is mounted and connected to the power output circuit 120. Secondary circuit board 50 is electrically connected to primary circuit board 40. Power output circuit 120 has a function of outputting DC power converted by voltage conversion circuit 130 of primary circuit board 40 to receptacle connector 52.

[0041] Secondary circuit board 50b is fixed to the upper surface of plate-shaped partition section 24 that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction from the inner surface of lower housing 20. The circuits of primary circuit board 40 and secondary circuit board 50b are connected by multiple wirings 106 through vertical holes provided in partition section 24. Secondary circuit board 50a and secondary circuit board 50b are connected by multiple wirings 107.

[0042] The lower end of the receptacle connector 52 is connected to the upper side of the secondary circuit board 50b, and electronic components such as an electrolytic capacitor 90, a semiconductor element 91, and a secondary side control unit 92 are arranged on the secondary circuit board 50a. The secondary side control unit 92 is, for example, a secondary side control IC.

[0043] Receptacle connector 52 is connected to the upper surface of printed circuit board 51b. Receptacle connector 52 is a USB terminal to which plug connector 102 can be connected, and is formed into a flat cylindrical shape as a whole. The type of USB terminal is not particularly limited. Receptacle connector 52 has guide portion 53 that is a bottomed cylindrical shape that opens upward, and is arranged at the back side of guide portion 53 in a state in which plug connector 102 can be inserted and removed.

[0044] [Lower housing] Lower housing 20 is a housing that houses primary circuit board 40 and secondary circuit board 50, and is not exposed on the upper surface of outlet 1. Lower housing 20 is made of resin such as melamine resin, urea resin, ABS resin, etc. Lower housing 20 may also be made of metal such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

[0045] The lower housing 20 has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from above, and the lower end of a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 21 is closed by a bottom portion 22. A hole 25 is formed in the bottom portion 22 for leading a power line 105 connecting a commercial power source 104 and a primary circuit board 40 to the outside of the housing 10. The position of the hole 25 is not limited in the lower housing 20. A cylindrical thin wall portion 21a with a rectangular cross section protrudes upward around the entire circumference on the inner peripheral side of the upper end of the peripheral wall portion 21. The lower end portion of an upper housing 30 described below is fitted and fixed into the thin wall portion 21a.

[0046] [Upper case] Upper housing 30 is a housing that houses an upper portion of receptacle connector 52, and is fixed to the upper side of lower housing 20. In the center of the upper end portion of upper housing 30, insertion opening 2b having a generally oval or other long hole shape extending in the left-right direction is formed so as to penetrate in the up-down direction.

[0047] As described above, the top end surface of upper housing 30 in which insertion port 2b is formed becomes top surface 2a of wiring accessory 2 exposed on the top surface of outlet 1.

[0048] Upper housing 30 has a generally rectangular shape when viewed from above, and is a stepped rectangular tube shape having upper end wall portion 31 that is a generally rectangular plate-like shape that is long in the left-right direction, and step portions 32 that are joined to both left-right ends of upper end wall portion 31. Insertion opening 2b is not limited to a horizontally elongated shape that is long in the left-right direction, and may be a vertically elongated shape that is long in the front-rear direction. In this case, the outer peripheral shape of receptacle connector 52 is also a vertically elongated shape that is long in the front-rear direction.

[0049] A cylindrical thin wall portion 33a with a rectangular cross section protrudes downward over the entire circumference from the outer periphery of the lower end of the peripheral wall portion 33 of the upper housing 30. The thin wall portion 33a is fitted and fixed to the outer periphery of the thin wall portion 21a at the top of the lower housing 20. Then, the upper housing 30 is fixed to the upper side of the lower housing 20, thereby forming a housing 10 that houses a receptacle connector 52 and a circuit 200, which will be described later. The circuit 200 includes a voltage conversion circuit 130 and a power output circuit 120, as will be described later.

[0050] The upper housing 30 is made of, for example, resin. Like the lower housing 20, the resin constituting the upper housing 30 is not particularly limited, but examples include urea resin, melamine resin, and ABS resin.

[0051] [Receptacle connector] The receptacle connector 52 is connected to the upper side of the secondary circuit board 50 and outputs DC power. Specifically, the receptacle connector 52 includes a cylindrical guide portion 53 with a bottom, and a terminal 54 that is disposed inside the guide portion 53 and outputs DC power. The guide portion 53 is for guiding the plug connector 102 for connecting to the terminal 54 from above to the terminal 54. The guide portion 53 allows the plug connector 102 to be inserted and removed in the vertical direction. The guide portion 53 has a cylindrical shape whose cross section perpendicular to the vertical direction is an ellipse that is long in the horizontal direction. The guide portion 53 has a shape that allows the cylindrical shell (not shown) of the plug connector 102 to be fitted inside. For this reason, when the shell is cylindrical with a rectangular cross section, the guide portion 53 is also cylindrical with a rectangular cross section.

[0052] Guide portion 53 may be provided with a locking mechanism that locks the shell in accordance with a predetermined standard to which receptacle connector 52 complies. Guide portion 53 is formed of metal or resin. No through hole penetrating the inside and outside of guide portion 53 is formed on the outer circumferential surface of guide portion 53. Note that, although small holes penetrating the inside and outside may be formed on the outer circumferential surface of guide portion 53, it is preferable to form the small holes at a position higher than the bottom surface of the recess formed on the inside of guide portion 53 in order to make it difficult for liquid that has entered inside to escape to the outside of guide portion 53.

[0053] 4 is a schematic diagram of the inside of the guide portion 53 of the receptacle connector 52 as viewed from above. The terminal 54 may be configured according to a predetermined standard to which the receptacle connector 52 complies. With the shell of the plug connector 102 fitted into the guide portion 53, the multiple pins 150, 151, 152, 153, and 154, which are multiple contacts of the terminal 54, are electrically connected to the multiple pins, which are multiple contacts housed in the shell of the plug connector 102. The multiple pins 150, 151, 152, 153, and 154 of the terminal 54 are connected to the circuit of the secondary circuit board 50 via wiring. As a result, DC power is output from the secondary circuit board 50 to the electronic device 101 via the terminal 54 and the plug connector 102. In addition, in the terminal structure of FIG. 4, the multiple pins are arranged symmetrically with respect to the front-rear direction X and the left-right direction Y so that even if the plug connector 102 is inserted inverted with respect to the front-rear direction X of the guiding portion 53, the multiple pins are connected to the terminal 54 so as to be able to output power to the plug connector 102.

[0054] The multiple pins 150, 151, 152, 153, and 154 include power transmission pins 150 and 151, two dead pins 152 and 153 that are not used for power transmission, and an output voltage request pin 154. The two dead pins 152 and 153 constitute a moisture detection unit 80 (see FIG. 5), which will be described later. FIG. 4 shows, in schematic form, that a resistance R1 between the inner ends of the guide portion 53 in the dead pins 152 and 153 is measured by a resistor R1 connected to the two dead pins 152 and 153.

[0055] 3, in receptacle connector 52, the upper end of guide portion 53 is in contact with or closely faces the open end on the internal space 70 side of insertion opening 2b of housing 10. This makes it difficult for liquid that has entered insertion opening 2b from above to enter internal space 70 outside guide portion 53 directly without passing through the inside of guide portion 53.

[0056] [circuit] 5 is a diagram showing the circuit 200 arranged in the housing 10, and shows a state in which the plug connector 102 is not connected. The circuit 200 has a voltage conversion circuit 130 provided on the primary circuit board 40 and a power output circuit 120 provided on the secondary circuit board 50. The voltage conversion circuit 130 has a transformer 43 and converts an AC voltage on the primary side into an AC voltage on the secondary side. In addition, a diode is connected to the secondary side of the voltage conversion circuit 130 as the semiconductor element 42. As a result, DC power that has been voltage-converted is output from the voltage conversion circuit 130 side to the power output circuit 120.

[0057] A primary side control unit 93 constituting a control unit 110 described later is provided on the primary circuit board 40. In Fig. 5, as an example, the primary side control unit 93 changes a voltage of 100V on the primary side to a voltage of 5V on the secondary side.

[0058] The power output circuit 120 provided on the secondary circuit board 50 has an electrolytic capacitor 90 and a switch S1. The switch S1 may be formed of, for example, the semiconductor element 91 of FIG. 3. When the switch S1 is connected, the power output circuit 120 outputs a voltage converted by the voltage conversion circuit 130 to the terminal 54. When the plug connector 102 is connected to the terminal 54, power is output to the plug connector 102 using a power transmission pin 150 connected to the positive bus B1 of the power output circuit 120 and a power transmission pin 151 connected to the negative bus B2.

[0059] A secondary-side control unit 92 (to be described later) constituting the control unit 110 is provided on the secondary circuit board 50. The secondary-side control unit 92 controls the switching between connection and disconnection of the switch S1 and the primary-side control unit 93.

[0060] [Moisture detection section] A moisture detection unit 80 is also provided in the housing 10. The moisture detection unit 80 includes a moisture detection circuit 81 provided on the secondary circuit board 50, and two dead pins 152, 153 connected to the moisture detection circuit 81 via wiring. The two dead pins 152, 153 constitute a first detection unit C1 that detects moisture present inside the guide portion 53. The first detection unit C1 measures a resistance R1 between the inner ends of the guide portion 53 in the two dead pins 152, 153. When there is no moisture in the guide portion 53, the resistance R1 is, for example, an infinite resistance, but when moisture enters the guide portion 53, it becomes a low resistance value other than infinity. As a result, the first detection unit C1 can detect moisture present inside the guide portion 53 by measuring the resistance R1.

[0061] A second detection unit C2 is provided outside the guide unit 53 between the two dead pins 152, 153 and the moisture detection circuit 81. The second detection unit C2 detects moisture present in the outer portion of the guide unit 53 within the housing 10. In this case, similar to the first detection unit C1, the second detection unit C2 can detect moisture present outside the guide unit 53 by measuring the resistance R2 between the outer portions of the guide unit 53 of the two dead pins 152, 153.

[0062] For example, the second detection unit C2 can be configured to detect the presence of moisture in a position that is prone to water intrusion, such as the upper surface of the printed circuit board 51b or a position lower than the upper surface of the printed circuit board 51, in order to make it easier to detect the presence of moisture in the internal space 70 at an early stage when liquid containing moisture begins to accumulate.

[0063] When the moisture detection circuit 81 detects that the resistance of one or both of the first detection unit C1 and the second detection unit C2 is lower than the normal state when there is no moisture, the moisture detection circuit 81 detects that moisture is present in the corresponding detection unit. As a result, the moisture detection unit 80 detects moisture present in at least one of the inside of the guide unit 53 and the outer part of the guide unit 53 in the housing 10. The moisture detection unit 80 also detects the presence of moisture based on the change in resistance between the two dead pins 152, 153. When the moisture detection unit 80 detects the presence of moisture, a moisture detection signal G is output to the secondary side control unit 92. FIG. 5 shows a liquid 180 containing moisture that has entered the guide unit 53 due to a sandy part in the guide unit 53.

[0064] [Control Unit] A control unit 110 is also provided within the housing 10. The control unit 110 has a secondary-side control unit 92 provided on the secondary circuit board 50 and a primary-side control unit 93 provided on the primary circuit board 40. The secondary-side control unit 92 controls the switch S1 to close when the plug connector 102 is connected to the receptacle connector 52. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the secondary-side control unit 92 determines that an output voltage request pin 154, which is one of the multiple pins of the terminal 54, is connected to a pin of the plug connector 102.

[0065] In addition, when a moisture detection signal is input from the moisture detection circuit 81, the secondary side control unit 92 outputs an OFF command to the switch S1 to shut off the switch S1, or outputs an ON command to the switch S1 to keep the switch S1 connected, and controls the switch S1 and the transformer 43 so that the voltage applied to the secondary side is maintained at a preset minimum voltage. Here, the "preset minimum voltage" refers not only to the voltage itself, but also to a voltage that can be said to be a substantially minimum voltage that allows conduction without failure even when submerged in water, and refers to a set value whose operation has been guaranteed in advance through experiments, etc. It can be set in advance in the control unit 110 whether the control unit 110 shuts off the switch S1 or keeps the voltage applied from the power output circuit 120 to the terminal 54 side at a preset minimum voltage with the switch S1 connected.

[0066] 5 shows a case where the control unit 110 cuts off switch S1. Furthermore, because plug connector 102 is not connected to receptacle connector 52, no voltage request is output from output voltage request pin 154 to secondary-side control unit 92. At this time, switch S1 is cut off, so that even if moisture adheres to an electronic component of power output circuit 120, it is possible to prevent a high voltage from being applied to a circuit including the electronic component. Furthermore, even if moisture accumulates in guide portion 53, it is possible to prevent a high current from continuously flowing through power output circuit 120 when plug connector 102 is connected, as shown in FIG. 6 described later. This makes it possible to suppress heat generation from the electronic components.

[0067] Moreover, when the moisture detection signal is input from the moisture detection circuit 81, the secondary side control unit 92 controls the switch S1 to output an OFF command to the switch S1, and at the same time outputs a command signal to the primary side control unit 93 to maintain the secondary side voltage at a preset minimum voltage, such as 5V, to control the transformer via the primary side control unit 93. This minimum voltage may be made to match or differ from a predetermined voltage required of the primary side control unit 93 when the switch S1 is connected. As a result, the primary side control unit 93 controls the transformer 43 to output a low voltage, such as 5V, to the secondary side. Therefore, the primary side control unit 93 and the secondary side control unit 92 can take out the low voltage power from a wiring not shown and continue to operate even after the switch S1 is cut off. As a result, when the moisture detection signal is no longer output from the moisture detection unit 80, the secondary side control unit 92 and the primary side control unit 93 can return to the operation before the moisture detection and output a normal high voltage, for example, a DC voltage of 20V, to the plug connector 102 when the plug connector 102 is connected.

[0068] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the circuit 200 disposed in the housing 10, and shows a state in which the plug connector 102 is connected and the switch S1 is cut off due to moisture detection. In this case, since the plug connector 102 is connected to the receptacle connector 52, the output voltage request pin 154 is connected to the pin 160 of the plug connector 102, and a predetermined voltage request such as 20V is output from the output voltage request pin 154 to the secondary side control unit 92. Even in this case, the secondary side control unit 92 controls the switch S1 to be cut off in response to the input of the moisture detection signal G, and outputs a command signal to the primary side control unit 93 to instruct conversion to a low voltage such as 5V, and controls the transformer 43 via the primary side control unit 93. As a result, even when the plug connector 102 is connected, as in the case of FIG. 5, even if moisture adheres to an electronic component of the power output circuit 120, it is possible to prevent a high voltage from being applied to a circuit including the electronic component. Furthermore, even if moisture accumulates inside the guide portion 53, it is possible to prevent a high current from constantly flowing through the power output circuit 120, regardless of the connection of the plug connector 102. This makes it possible to suppress heat generation from electronic components.

[0069] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a circuit arranged in the housing 10, and shows a case where the plug connector 102 is connected, and the switch S1 is connected by moisture detection, and the voltage applied to the secondary side is maintained at a predetermined minimum voltage. In the case shown in FIG. 7, when a moisture detection signal is input from the moisture detection circuit 81, the secondary side control unit 92 outputs an ON command to the switch S1 to connect the switch S1, and controls the switch S1 and the transformer 43 so that the voltage applied to the secondary side is maintained at a predetermined minimum voltage. For example, in the case shown in FIG. 7, as in the case of FIG. 6, a voltage request of 20V is output from the output voltage request pin 154 to the secondary side control unit 92 by connecting the plug connector 102. However, even in this case, since the moisture detection signal G is input to the secondary side control unit 92, the secondary side control unit 92 controls to connect the switch S1, but controls the transformer 43 via the primary side control unit 93 so that the primary side control unit 93 outputs a voltage of 5V, which is lower than the voltage of 20V output before moisture detection. 5, even if moisture adheres to an electronic component of power output circuit 120, it is possible to prevent a high voltage from being applied to a circuit including the electronic component. Also, even if moisture accumulates in guide portion 53, it is possible to prevent a high current from continuously flowing through power output circuit 120 regardless of whether plug connector 102 is connected. This makes it possible to suppress heat generation from electronic components.

[0070] [effect] According to the wiring device 10 of the present embodiment, in a configuration having a receptacle connector 52 that opens upward, when moisture is detected in at least one of the receptacle connector 52 or the outer portion of the receptacle connector 52, the switch S1 is turned off, or the voltage applied to the secondary side in the connected state of the switch S1 is maintained at a preset minimum voltage. This makes it possible to prevent a high voltage from being generated when moisture adheres to the periphery of the power output circuit 120 disposed near the receptacle connector 52 into which liquid containing moisture is likely to penetrate. In addition, when the plug connector 102 is connected, it is possible to prevent a high current from constantly flowing through the power output circuit 120 via the moisture in the receptacle connector 52. This makes it possible to prevent heat generation in electronic components of the power output circuit 120.

[0071] In this example, the terminal 54 has the power transmission pins 150, 151 and two free pins 152, 153 that are not used for power transmission, and the moisture detection unit 80 detects the presence of moisture based on a change in resistance between the two free pins 152, 153. This eliminates the need to provide a dedicated moisture detection unit for detecting the presence of moisture in the guide portion 53, separate from the pins of the terminal 54, within the guide portion 53, thereby reducing the number of parts and costs. Note that the terminal 54 may have three or more free pins that are not used for power transmission.

[0072] Fig. 8 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 6 for explaining a disadvantage of wiring device 220 of the comparative example. Wiring device 220 of the comparative example is not provided with moisture detection unit 80 (Fig. 5). Furthermore, control unit 110a including secondary side control unit 92a and primary side control unit 93 controls switch S1 to be connected when plug connector 102 is connected to receptacle connector 52, and controls transformer 43 via primary side control unit 93 to convert the voltage to 20 V in response to an input of a signal representing a voltage request output of 20 V from output voltage request pin 154.

[0073] In such a comparative example, for example, when liquid 180 containing moisture enters and accumulates inside guide portion 53 of receptacle connector 52 as shown by the sandy area, current is likely to flow between two power transmission pins 150, 151 of terminal 54 via the liquid. For this reason, a high current continues to flow through power output circuit 120 at all times when plug connector 102 is connected, causing electronic components to heat up. In this embodiment, such a problem can be prevented.

[0074] In the comparative example, even if a liquid containing moisture enters the outside of the guide portion 53 inside the housing 10, the switch S1 remains connected, and the voltage is not converted to the minimum voltage value preset by the transformer 43. This causes a high voltage to be applied to the power output circuit 120, which may cause malfunctions in the electronic components of the circuit. In this embodiment, such inconveniences can also be prevented.

[0075] 1 to 7, a control unit may be provided in the moisture detection circuit 81, and when moisture is detected by the moisture detection circuit 81, the control unit may control the switch S1 and the transformer 43 so as to cut off the switch S1 or to keep the voltage applied to the secondary side at a preset minimum voltage value with the switch S1 connected. In this case, the parts of the moisture detection circuit other than the control unit constitute the moisture detection unit.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the secondary-side control unit 92 is provided on the secondary circuit board 50, and the primary-side control unit 93 is provided on the primary circuit board 40, but both control units 92, 93 may be provided on either the secondary circuit board 50 or the primary circuit board 40. In this case, the secondary-side control unit 92 and the primary-side control unit 93 may be integrated to form a single control unit. Conversely, the control unit may be configured to be composed of three or more control units connected to each other.

[0077] The configuration of the present disclosure described above is as follows. (Configuration 1) a housing for housing the circuitry and the receptacle connector; A control unit; A moisture detection unit, The receptacle connector has a bottomed cylindrical guide portion that opens upward, and a terminal that is disposed inside the guide portion and outputs electric power, The circuit includes a voltage conversion circuit that converts a primary voltage to a secondary voltage using a transformer, and a power output circuit that applies the converted voltage to the terminal side by connecting a switch, The moisture detection unit is Detecting moisture present in at least one of an inside of the guide and an outer portion of the guide within the housing; The control unit is the switch is closed when the plug connector is connected to the receptacle connector, and when a moisture detection signal is input from the moisture detection unit, the switch is cut off or, with the switch closed, the voltage applied to the secondary side is maintained at a preset minimum voltage value, and the switch and the transformer are controlled. A wiring device that supplies electrical power. (Configuration 2) The terminal has a power transmission pin and at least two free pins that are not used for power transmission, The moisture detection unit detects the presence of moisture based on a change in resistance between the two dead pins. A wiring device for supplying the power according to configuration 1. (Configuration 3) the control unit controls the switch and the transformer to turn off the switch when the moisture detection signal is input from the moisture detection unit and to maintain the secondary side voltage at a predetermined voltage lower than a normal voltage. A wiring device for supplying the power according to configuration 1 or 2. (Configuration 4) Supplying DC power, A wiring device for supplying power according to any one of configurations 1 to 3. (Configuration 5) USB outlet device, A wiring device for supplying the power according to configuration 4. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1 outlet, 2, 220 wiring device (wiring device) for supplying power, 2a, 3a upper surface, 2b terminal side insertion port, 2c housing side insertion port, 3b insertion port, 3 power outlet device, 4 decorative plate, 4a opening, 10 housing, 20 lower housing, 21 peripheral wall portion, 22 bottom portion, 24 partition portion, 29 bottom member, 30 upper housing, 31 upper end wall portion, 33 peripheral wall portion, 40 primary circuit board, 41, 51 printed circuit board, 42 semiconductor element, 43 transformer, 50, 50a, 50b secondary circuit board, 51, 51a, 51b printed circuit board, 52 receptacle connector, 53 guide portion, 54 terminal, 70, 71 internal space, 72 sealing member, 80 moisture detection portion, 81 moisture detection circuit, 90 electrolytic capacitor, 91 semiconductor element, 92 Secondary side control section, 93 Primary side control section, 100 Top plate, 101 Electronic device, 102 Plug connector, 103 Cable, 104 Commercial power supply, 105 Power line, 106, 107 Wiring, 110, 110a Control section, 120 Power output circuit, 130 Voltage conversion circuit, 150, 151 Power transmission pin, 152, 153 Free pin, 154 Output voltage request pin, 160 Pin, 180 Liquid, 200 Circuit.

Claims

1. a housing for housing the circuitry and the receptacle connector; A control unit; A moisture detection unit, The receptacle connector has a bottomed cylindrical guide portion that opens upward, and a terminal that is disposed inside the guide portion and outputs electric power, The circuit includes a voltage conversion circuit that converts a primary voltage to a secondary voltage using a transformer, and a power output circuit that applies the converted voltage to the terminal side by connecting a switch, The moisture detection unit is Detecting moisture present in at least one of an inside of the guide and an outer portion of the guide within the housing; The control unit is the switch is closed when the plug connector is connected to the receptacle connector, and when a moisture detection signal is input from the moisture detection unit, the switch is cut off or, with the switch closed, the voltage applied to the secondary side is maintained at a preset minimum voltage value, and the switch and the transformer are controlled. A wiring device that supplies electrical power.

2. The terminal has a power transmission pin and at least two free pins that are not used for power transmission, The moisture detection unit detects the presence of moisture based on a change in resistance between the two dead pins. A wiring device for supplying electric power according to claim 1.

3. the control unit controls the switch and the transformer to turn off the switch when the moisture detection signal is input from the moisture detection unit and to maintain the secondary side voltage at a predetermined voltage lower than a normal voltage. A wiring device for supplying electric power according to claim 1.

4. Supplying DC power, A wiring device for supplying electric power according to claim 1.

5. It is a USB outlet device. A wiring device for supplying electric power according to claim 4.

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