A relay socket mountable on a mounting structure comprises a main body and a clipping system disposed on the main body. The main body has an upper part disposed on a first side of the mounting structure and a lower part extending beyond a fixation edge of the mounting structure to a second side of the mounting structure opposite the first side. The upper part of the main body receives a relay. The clipping system is adapted to lock the main body to the fixation edge.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a socket for an electrical connector and, more particularly, to a relay socket that can be installed on an installation structure with a snap-lock mechanism.

BACKGROUND

Relay sockets for an electrical connector installed on an installation structure, such as a panel, are used for electrically connecting a large number of electrical relays side-by-side in a dense arrangement.

A conventional relay socket includes a base that is secured to the installation panel by, for example, bolts, screws, or nuts. Due to the number of small metallic parts to be aligned and tightened to the panel, the installation of this type of relay socket is time consuming and requires the use of specific tools, such as dynamometric equipment for verifying the fixations and metallic keys for tightening and removing the screws. Moreover, the access to the tightening elements with such tools is generally at a rear side of the panel, close to the wiring, and thereby risks damaging other cables during installation. The use of bolts or screws for fixing the socket also poses the problem that the screws become loose with time when subject to shocks and vibrations, such in aircraft applications, which requires time-consuming regular maintenance for verifying the state of all tightening elements.

Other types of relay sockets have been proposed to facilitate the installation of the socket on the panel.

A relay socket with a plurality of integral locking members for attaching and locking the relay socket to a structure surface, such as a panel, without the use of attachment hardware such as nuts or screws has been proposed in UK patent application GB 2462524 A. The locking members are stepped conical resilient members that pass through holes in the structure surface and then pass through holes in the relay, locking the relay socket to both the structure surface and the relay.

Another configuration of a panel-mounted connector for relays is described in UK patent application GB 2310550 A. The panel supports several relay bases into which relays can be plugged and includes elongated apertures with slots down each side. Each relay base is retained, on the rear side of the panel, by two resilient beams having outwardly-projecting catches that project through the apertures and overlap the front surface. Lugs on opposite sides of each base engage in the slots to prevent movement of the bases along the apertures. The relays are secured on the bases by screws that engage screw holes in the bases aligned with the slots. When mounted, a part of each relay lies between the catches, thereby preventing them from being displaced inwardly sufficiently to clear the edges of the aperture.

Although the above configurations reduce the number of screws required for installing the relay socket, an access to both front and rear sides of the installation panel is still required in order to mount and remove both the socket and the relay from the panel. Moreover, the panel must be provided with dedicated holes/slots for fixing the socket.

United States patent application publication US 2002/0142643 A1 describes a relay socket attachable to a cutout in a panel. The relay socket includes at least one rocker beam element at one side of the base and at least one active snap element at the opposite side of the base. The socket is inserted into place by engaging the rocker beam element on one side of a cutout in a panel and pivoting the active snap element toward the opposite side of the cutout so that it engages the opposite side of the cutout, moves inwardly, and is inserted into the cutout in the panel. When inserted into the cutout, the active snap element moves outwardly to engage the opposite side of the cutout and the elements cooperatively hold the socket onto the panel. Since the relay is plugged to the side of the base provided with the rocker beam element and the active snap element, this connection arrangement still requires access to both sides of the panel for mounting as well as for removing the relay and the base. Moreover, in order to remove the socket from the panel, access to both sides of the panel is necessary so as to press the snap element from one side while the base is simultaneously rotated from the other side of the panel for disengaging the rocker beam element.

SUMMARY

A relay socket mountable on a mounting structure comprises a main body and a clipping system disposed on the main body. The main body has an upper part disposed on a first side of the mounting structure and a lower part extending beyond a fixation edge of the mounting structure to a second side of the mounting structure opposite the first side. The upper part of the main body receives a relay. The clipping system is adapted to lock the main body to the fixation edge.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S)

A relay socket100according to an embodiment of the invention is shown inFIG. 1with a mounting structure200and a relay300to be plugged into the relay socket100. In the shown embodiment, the relay300is a conventional relay.

The mounting structure200is a panel in the embodiment shown inFIG. 1. The mounting structure200has an aperture202for partially receiving the relay socket100. In the shown embodiment, the mounting structure200is a square panel with the aperture202cut-out from the panel200. The aperture202has a rectangular shape that substantially fits a lower side of the socket100and to which the socket100is fixed at two opposite fixation edges204,206of the aperture202. In other embodiments, the relay socket100is mounted on other types of mounting structures and/or apertures as long as two fixation edges are provided for attaching the socket100and between which the socket100can be partially inserted, such as between two parallel plates of an installation panel at a sufficient distance from each other for receiving and mounting the socket100. The aperture202is thereby not limited to a panel cut-out and may have other shapes; the aperture, for example, may be an extended slot cut-out on a panel for installing a number of relay sockets100side-by-side.

The relay socket100, as shown inFIG. 1, has a main body110adapted to be inserted from a first side208of the mounting structure200. The first side208of the mounting structure200is a same side of the panel200from which the relay300is plugged into the socket100. Hereinafter, the first side208will be referred to as the front side208and a second side210opposite the front side208will be referred to as the rear side210.

The main body110, as shown inFIG. 1, has an external shape such that a lower part116of the main body110has a cross-section capable of passing through the aperture202to the rear side210of the panel200. In the shown embodiment, the lower part116has a substantially rectangular shape with a longitudinal length L1and a width W, as shown inFIG. 2, that are approximately equal to the dimensions of the aperture202so as to provide a good fit of the socket100in the aperture202, but are slightly lower than the dimensions of the aperture202so that the lower part116can be inserted through the aperture202. The length L1and width W are also approximately equal to a separation between the fixation edges204,206and to a length of the fixation edges204,206, respectively. The width W of the lower part116is not a critical parameter for the purpose of securing the socket100to the mounting structure200; in other embodiments, the length of the fixation edges204,206may be larger than W.

An upper part118of the main body110, shown inFIG. 1, has a larger cross-section along a plane parallel to the mounting structure200than the lower part116so as to block a further insertion of the socket100through the aperture202and to remain arranged on the front side208for plugging the relay300. The upper part118has two ledges122and124that extend outwards beyond the longitudinal length L1of the lower part116, over a total longitudinal length L2as shown inFIG. 2, so that the upper part118physically contacts the mounting structure200when the socket100is inserted through the aperture202and blocks a further displacement of the socket100through the aperture202. In an embodiment, the width W of the upper part118is the same as that of the lower part116for providing a socket100with a more compact design.

In an embodiment, the main body110is made of molded electrically insulating materials, such as plastic materials. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 1, the main body110is formed as a single block, with the upper and lower parts118and116monolithically formed of the same block material.

As shown inFIG. 1, the upper part118has a number of openings120arranged in a central area for plugging the contact pins302provided on a lower side of the relay300. The openings120are electrically coupled to corresponding openings on the opposite side of the main body110via connecting elements known in the art that are provided inside the main body110. The positioning and alignment of the main body110on the mounting structure200is facilitated by providing one or more guiding pins126on the side of the ledges122,124that faces the mounting structure200for fitting into respective guiding holes212provided on the mounting structure200.

In order to fix the relay socket100to the panel200, the relay socket100has an integrated clipping system130for locking the socket100to the fixation edges204,206when the socket100is in place without the use of any tightening elements or tools. The integrated clipping system130is disposed on the main body110and is mechanically coupled to an actuation member150provided over the upper part118of the main body110. A locking state of the clipping system130can be set or changed by operating the actuation member150. As is described in greater detail below, the actuation member150can be moved downwards and/or upwards with respect to the main body110among a neutral position (opened configuration) and at least one of a locking position (closed configuration) and an unlocking position (removal configuration).

The relay socket100is shown in the opened configuration inFIG. 2, in which the actuation member150is positioned in the neutral position at a certain distance d shown inFIG. 4above the upper part118. In the neutral position, the clipping system130is not actuated by the actuation member150and the relay socket100can be freely inserted into the aperture202. Once inserted into the aperture202, the actuation member150is lowered to the locking position and actuates the clipping system130to lock the main body110to the fixation edges204,206. The closed configuration of the relay socket100, corresponding to the locking position of the actuation member150, is shown inFIG. 3, in which the actuation member150is completely lowered onto the upper part118. In the unlocked position, by contrast, the actuation member150is in a higher position above the neutral position and actively disengages the clipping system130from the fixation edges204,206for removing the relay socket110from the mounting structure200. The removal configuration of the relay socket100, with the actuation member150in the unlocking position, is shown inFIGS. 10 and 11. The relay socket100can be easily mounted and/or removed from the mounting structure200without the need of any screws or tools by simply actuating the actuation member150and does not require access to both the rear and front sides210,208of the installation panel200.

The actuation member150is designed so that the relay300can only be plugged into the socket100when the actuation member150is in the closed configuration. As shown inFIGS. 2and3, the actuation member150has a stirrup shape having a central, flat base151with an opening152for providing access to the plug openings120on the upper part118, and two lateral supports153,154at the left and right sides of the flat base151for arranging fixation plates304,306of the relay300as shown inFIG. 1. A height h of the lateral supports153,154, shown inFIG. 3, is selected such that the relay pins302can be fully inserted into the openings120of the main body110only when the actuation member150is in its lowest position. The stirrup shape thus prevents the relay300from being plugged when the socket100is not in the closed configuration.

The relay socket100, as shown inFIG. 4, includes one or more guiding columns160that extend vertically along through-holes provided on the supports153,154of the actuation member150and of the main body110. The guiding columns160guide the actuation member150in the upward and downward movement with respect to the main body110and are, therefore, only fixed to the ledges122,124but not to the actuation member150itself. In the shown embodiment, an end part of the guiding columns160partially protrudes from the lower side of the ledges122,124so as to serve as the guiding pins126. The guiding columns160are formed from a material having a good wearing resistance against relative movement between parts and suitable for tightening a screw, such as a metal. The guiding columns160may also serve for fixing the relay300onto the relay socket100by screwing, as it will be described in greater detail below with reference toFIG. 8. Thus, the guiding columns160allow aligning the relay300in the right position with respect to the electrical contact openings120provided on the socket100, as well as the assembly of the relay300and socket100with respect to the mounting structure200.

The clipping system130includes one or more clipping members132for securing the main body110to the mounting structure200. As shown inFIG. 4, the clipping system130includes two clipping members132that are respectively provided on lateral sides of the lower part116, opposite to each other. The clipping members132are attached to the lower part116at a lower end and extend upwards along a lateral side of the main body110at a given separation distance. Each clipping member132is provided with an inward-projecting recess134at an upper end135for engaging with the respective fixation edges204,206when the socket100is installed in the aperture202. The inward-projecting recess134forms a shoulder136that will block the removal of the relay socket100from the aperture202when the clipping system130is in the locking state. The clipping members132have resilient properties so that they can be flexed towards the main body110under inward pressure, such as the pressure exerted by the fixation edges204,206when the lower part116is inserted through the aperture202, and to resiliently return towards the neutral state when such pressure is completely or partially released.

A process of assembling the relay socket100to the mounting structure200and the relay300will now be described with reference toFIGS. 4-8.

The relay socket100is shown in the opened configuration and the clipping members132are in a neutral state inFIG. 4. In the neutral state, the distance L3between the shoulders136of the opposite clipping members132is larger than the longitudinal length L1of the lower part116and larger than the distance La between the fixation edges204,206shown inFIG. 5.

The actuation member150is stably maintained in the neutral position shown inFIG. 4at a distance d above the upper part118by clipping legs155provided on the lateral supports153,154. The clipping legs155prevent a downward displacement of the actuation member150towards the main body110. The clipping legs155are attached to the top side of the actuation member150and project downwards into respective openings128provided on the ledges122,124. On its outer side, the clipping leg155has an inward-projecting recess156at a lower end for forming a catch that engages with an edge of the opening128and blocks any downward movement of the actuation member150with respect to the main body110, even when force is applied on the top side of the actuation member150to push the relay socket100into the aperture202.

As shown inFIG. 5, in the opened configuration the relay socket100can be easily inserted through the aperture202by applying force on the top of the actuation member150in the direction of the arrows, since the actuation member150is not actuating on the clipping system130. The clipping members132are then freely flexed away from their neutral state by the inward force applied by the fixation edges204,206, shown inFIG. 5, and are released back when the socket100reaches the mounting position and the inward recesses134engage with the fixation edges204,206, as shown inFIG. 6. The thickness of the clipping member132may increase from its lower end to the shoulder136so that the force applied by the fixation edges204,206is gradually increased during the insertion of the socket100to a maximum and is then suddenly decreased for facilitating the engagement of the recess134with the respective fixation edge204,206.

As shown inFIG. 6, once the socket100is inserted into the aperture202and the clipping members132are respectively engaged on the fixation edges204and206, the relay socket100is pre-clipped into the panel200. The actuation member150is then operated so as to be lowered from the opened configuration to the closed configuration. The clipping leg155has spring characteristics that allow the leg155to be easily flexed inwards towards the actuation member150by applying inward pressure, for instance, with the operator's fingers along the direction shown by the horizontal arrows inFIG. 6, so as to disengage the catch156of the clipping leg155from the upper edge of the opening128. The clipping leg155can then be further inserted through the opening128and no longer blocks the actuation member150, which may then be moved downwards towards the main body110until reaching the locking position in the closed configuration.

As shown inFIG. 7, the actuation member150includes at least one interlocking element157which projects from a lower side of the actuation member150downwards and partially extends into a gap region between the clipping member132and the main body110. The interlocking element157has a number of features that mechanically interact with features of the clipping member132so as to change the state of the clipping system130depending on the position of the actuation member150.

The interlocking element157, as shown inFIG. 7, has a profile with a recess158on the side facing the clipping member132. The recess158forms an outward shoulder that is brought into contact with the end part of the clipping member132, on the side opposed to the clipping member recess134, when the actuation member150is pushed down into the closed configuration, forcing the clipping member recess134against the respective fixation edge204or206and locking the main body110into the mounting position. In order to improve the engagement of the clipping member recesses134against the fixation edges204,206, in an embodiment, the recesses134have one or more specific collapsible features138to offset the panel200cut-out limits. The collapsible features138have different shapes and are made from a deformable, thermoplastic material that can be deformed under the pressure exerted by the fixation edges204,206against the recesses134so as to improve the fixation of the relay socket100against vibrations and shocks.

Once the relay socket100is mounted in the aperture202and locked into position in the closed configuration, the relay300can be plugged to the relay socket100and secured to the socket100as shown inFIG. 8. The guiding columns160of the relay socket100have vertical openings, such as blind holes162for receiving a tightening element, such as a screw308. The guiding columns160are aligned with tightening elements308of the relay300for securing the relay300to the socket100. In an embodiment, each blind hole162has a threaded region for tightening the screw308. The threaded region is provided at a predetermined depth such that the screw308can only be screwed when the relay socket100is in the closed configuration, preventing the relay300from being fixed to the socket100when the clipping system130is not in the locking state, and therefore, the relay socket100is not securely fixed to the mounting structure200. The fixation of the relay300by tightening the screws308to the socket100simultaneously secures the actuation member150against the main body110in the closed configuration so that the relay socket100cannot be accidentally demounted without first removing the relay300.

A process and features for removing the relay socket100from the mounting structure200will now be described with reference toFIGS. 9-11.

A stage of a process of removing the relay socket100from the mounting structure200is shown inFIG. 9, in which the relay socket100is returned back to the opened configuration automatically by pulling the actuation member150in the direction indicated by the arrows into the neutral position. The interlocking elements157of the actuation member150do not actuate on the clipping members132to put them into the rest position; the elasticity of the clipping members132is sufficient for returning them towards to the neutral state. An upward displacement of the main body110of the relay socket100, however, is still blocked by the mounting structure200in the stage shown inFIG. 9.

In order to unclip the relay socket100from the panel200, the actuation member150is further pulled in the upward direction, as shown inFIG. 10, so as to actively un-lock the relay socket100from the mounting structure200. As shown inFIGS. 9 and 10, the interlocking element157includes an outward-projecting barb159at a lower end that can move along a respective vertical slot139provided on the clipping member132when the actuation member150is moved between the opened and the closed configurations. The vertical slot139has an upper edge with an inclined profile that matches the barb159so that the barb159progressively engages with the clipping member132when the actuation member150is moved from the opened configuration, shown inFIG. 9, to the unlocking position in the removal configuration, shown inFIG. 10, and flexes the clipping member132towards the main body110, disengaging the clipping member132from the aperture edges204,206. The full engagement with the clipping member132is attained in the unlocked state shown inFIG. 10, in which the barb159is fully engaged with the clipping member132and pushes the clipping member132towards the main body110, completely disengaging the clipping member shoulder136from the fixation edges204,206. The relay socket100can then be easily removed from the mounting structure200by simply pulling the actuation member150along the direction indicated by the vertical arrows shown inFIG. 10.

FIG. 11shows a final stage of the removing process, in which the relay socket100is completely removed from the aperture202and the actuation member150is in its highest position above the upper part118.

The relay socket100can be easily mounted and/or removed from the mounting structure200without the need of any screws or tools by simply actuating the actuation member150and without requiring access to both the rear210and front208sides of the mounting structure200. Moreover, the relay socket100can be quickly and easily installed and/or removed from the mounting structure200without removing other sockets and/or relays that might be installed. Further, because the clipping system130is formed as an integral part of the main body110and/or the clipping legs155are formed as an integral part of the actuation member150, the relay socket100has no separable parts and is in an already assembled state when delivered to a customer. Additionally, as the main body110and/or the actuation member150is formed from plastic materials, the relay socket100has a reduced weight in comparison to other conventional relay sockets made of multiple metallic parts.

Although certain features of the above embodiments were described using terms such as “front”, “rear”, and “upper” and “lower”, these terms are used for the purpose of facilitating the description of the respective components of the relay socket100and how they are oriented with respect to each other only and should not be construed as limiting the claimed invention or any of its components to an installation or use in a particular spatial orientation. Moreover, although the present invention has been described above with reference to relay sockets100for plugging relays, the principles of the present invention can also be advantageously applied to other types of sockets that must be installed on a mounting structure in a quick and secure manner and so as to achieve a dense installation of such devices.