Patent Publication Number: US-2016233660-A1

Title: Gfci receptacle

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/112983, filed on Feb. 6, 2015 which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The current disclosure is directed to the field of ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) and more particularly GFCIs to protect electrical devices where there are normally erratic current leakages to ground. 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     Many electrical wiring devices have a line side, which is connectable to an electrical power supply, and a load side, which is connectable to one or more loads and at least one conductive path between the line and load sides. Electrical connections to wires supplying electrical power or wires conducting electricity to the one or more loads are at line side and load side connections. The electrical wiring device industry has witnessed an increasing call for circuit breaking devices or systems which are designed to interrupt power to various loads, such as household appliances, consumer electrical products and branch circuits. 
     In particular, electrical codes require electrical circuits in home bathrooms and kitchens to be equipped with ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI), for example. Presently available GFCI devices use an electrically activated trip mechanism to mechanically break an electrical connection between the line side and the load side. Such devices are resettable after they are tripped by, for example, the detection of a ground fault. A test button is used to test the trip mechanism and circuitry used to sense faults, and a reset button is used to reset the electrical connection between line and load sides. In these cases, the test button and the reset button are located on the GFCI receptacle itself, generally positioned between each socket receptacle. 
     In certain instances, it is required to have the GFCI&#39;s located in harsh environments with exposure to natural elements such as rain, snow and other extreme weather conditions. In these cases it is necessary to contain the GFCI receptacle in a completely watertight compartment or junction box. In addition to being housed in a watertight box it is also required to have the connection portion between the plug and each individual socket of the GFCI also to be water resistant. With current GFCI receptacle configurations, especially with the test and reset buttons located between the sockets, this can be difficult and certain individuals can appreciate the need for a structure that provides a cost effective solution to this problem. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     According to the disclosure an embodiment of a GFCI receptacle is provided that includes a pair of electrical sockets, a power interrupter, a watertight compartment and a remotely placed user interface including a keypad and display panel. 
     The GFCI includes a compartment having a front face and a cover body operatively joined together and housing a pair of electrical sockets for connection to a typical three pronged plug. The front face includes a pair of openings having respective socket covers that are rotateably mounted and providing access to the sockets. A control board is disposed in the front face and electrically connected to the sockets and includes a sensing circuit for detecting a ground fault or arc fault with an integrated trip switch for interrupting the power supplied to the sockets in case of a fault. 
     The control board further includes a wire bundle removeably secured to the board and routed to the user interface which is mounted to the exterior of the front face and in the embodiment shown the user interface is secured to the top surface of the front face. The keypad and display panel are combined and include the test and reset buttons for operation of the GFCI and also includes a series of indicators that provide a key to the mode of failure or cause of the interruption if the GFCI has been tripped. A watertight gasket is positioned within the front face and includes glands that extend into socket openings for sealing the connection between respective plugs and sockets and a lip that seals the periphery between the front face and the body cover. The wire bundle is routed within the compartment and extends through a wall in the front face or cover body that connects the user interface to the control board. A watertight seal is also positioned between the user interface and the front face therefore providing a completely sealed and self-contained GFCI receptacle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limited in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the GFCI receptacle assembly; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial exploded view of the GFCI receptacle assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the GFCI receptacle assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an alternate perspective view of the GFCI receptacle assembly with the junction box removed; 
         FIG. 5  is a partial exploded view of the GFCI receptacle assembly of  FIG. 4 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is an alternative exploded view of the GFCI receptacle assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The appended figures illustrate an embodiment of a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) receptacle assembly  20  and it is to be understood that the embodiment described and illustrated is merely exemplary of the disclosure, which may be embodied in different forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure. 
     One or more embodiments of the disclosure utilize a modular construction and are typically used in the construction of residential and commercial building wiring. A typical residential or commercial wiring power distribution has a 120/240 volt system that includes three wire conductors, two line conductors, a neutral conductor and an earthing or reference path. The typical AC distribution system includes two line voltages that are 180 degrees out of phase so that when a voltage is measured across, a peak voltage of 240 volts is achieved and voltages across a single line conductor and a neutral is 120 volts. The embodiment described and illustrated herein is generally directed to a single-phase, polarized-receptacles and outlets. 
     As best shown in  FIG. 1  the GFCI receptacle assembly  20  includes a housing  22 , a GFCI receptacle  24 , a wire cover  26 , and a user interface assembly  28  which are all operatively associated to one another. 
     The housing  22  includes a junction box  30 , a cover  32 , and a sealing member  34 , which are all operatively associated to one another to provide a cavity  36  within the housing  22 . 
     The junction box  30  includes a rear wall  40 , a top wall  42 , a bottom wall  44 , a first side wall  46 , and a second side wall  48 . Each of the walls  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  extend forward from the rear wall  40  in a generally perpendicular manner such that a front face  50  of the junction box  30  is defined by the free ends of the walls  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  as best illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The walls  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  also define an open cavity of the junction box  30  therebetween. The junction box  30  further includes a conduit connection (not shown) provided through the bottom wall  44  such that conduit  54  can be in communication with the open cavity  52 . 
     As depicted in  FIG. 3  the cover  32  includes a front wall  60 , a top wall  62 , a bottom wall  64 , a first side wall  66 , and a second side wall  68 . Each of the walls  62 ,  64 ,  66 ,  68  extend rearward from the front wall  60  in a generally perpendicular manner such that a rear face  70  of the cover  32  is defined by the free ends of the walls  62 ,  64 ,  66 ,  68 . The walls  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  66 ,  68  also define an open cavity  72  of the cover  32  therebetween. The top wall  62  further includes an aperture  74  provided therethrough which is in communication with the open cavity  72 . The front wall  60  further includes a pair of ports  76   a,    76   b  extending forwardly therefrom and which are in communication with the open cavity  72 . Port  76   a  is positioned above port  76   b.  The cover  32  further includes a pair of port covers  78   a,    78   b  which are configured to close off and cover the ports  76   a,    76   b,  respectively. Port cover  78   a  is preferably rotatably connected to one or both of the front wall  60  and the top wall  62 , such that the port cover  78   a  can close off and cover the port  76   a,  and such that the port cover  78   a  can allow a plug to access to the port  76   a.  Similarly, port cover  78   b  is preferably rotatably connected to one or both of the front wall  60  and the bottom wall  64 , such that the port cover  78   b  can close off and cover the port  76   b,  and such that the port cover  78   b  can allow a plug to access to the port  76   b.    
     The sealing member  34  includes a rearward portion  80  and a forward portion  82 . The rearward portion  80  includes a top wall  84 , a bottom wall  86 , a first side wall  88 , and a second side wall  90 . The walls  84 ,  86 ,  88 ,  90  define front and rear faces  92 ,  94  of the rearward portion  80  and an opening  96  which extends through the rearward portion  80 . The forward portion  82  includes a front wall  98 , a top wall  100 , a bottom wall  102 , a first side wall  104 , and a second side wall  106 . The walls  100 ,  102 ,  104 ,  106  extend rearward from the front wall  98  in a generally perpendicular manner to the front face  92  of the rearward portion  80 . The walls  98 ,  100 ,  102 ,  104 ,  106  also define an open cavity  108  therebetween. The opening  96  and the open cavity  108  are in communication with one another and collectively define an open cavity  109  of the sealing member  34 . The top wall  100  further includes an aperture  110  provided therethrough which is in communication with the open cavity  109 . The front wall  98  further includes a pair of ports  112   a,    112   b  extending forwardly therefrom and which are in communication with the open cavity  109 . Port  112   a  is positioned above port  112   b.    
     In order to form the housing  22 , the sealing member  34  is positioned and secured inside the open cavity  72  of the cover  32 . In this position, the front wall  98  of the sealing member  34  is positioned against a rear surface of the front wall  60  of the cover  32 , and the ports  112   a,    112   b  of the sealing member  34  are positioned within the ports  76   a,    76   b  of the cover  32 , respectively. Further, the top wall  100  of the sealing member  34  is positioned against a lower surface of the top wall  62  of the cover  32  such that the aperture  110  of the sealing member  34  is in communication with the aperture  74  of the cover  32 . Still further, the bottom wall  102  of the sealing member  34  is positioned against a top surface of the bottom wall  64  of the cover  32 , the first side wall  104  of the sealing member  34  is positioned against an inner surface of the first side wall  66  of the cover  32 , and the second side wall  106  of the sealing member  34  is positioned against an inner surface of the second side wall  68  of the cover  32 . Still further, the front face  92  of the sealing member  34  is positioned against the rear face  70  of the cover  32  and the outer surfaces of the walls  84 ,  86 ,  88 ,  90  of the sealing member  34  are generally flush with the outer surfaces of the walls  62 ,  64 ,  66 ,  68  of the cover  32 , respectively. The front face  50  of the junction box  30  is positioned against the rear face  94  of the sealing member  34  and the outer surfaces of the walls  84 ,  86 ,  88 ,  90  of the sealing member  34  are generally flush with the outer surfaces of the walls  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  of the junction box  30 , respectively. The junction box  30 , cover  32 , and sealing member  34  can be secured together by any desired means, such as, for instance, by a plurality of screws. With the housing  22  thus formed, the open cavities  52 ,  109  of the junction box  30  and the sealing member  34 , respectively, collectively form the cavity  36  of the housing  22 . 
     As also illustrated in  FIG. 3  the GFCI receptacle  24  is generally housed within the cavity  36  of the housing  22 . The GFCI receptacle includes a ground plate assembly  114  and an electronic circuitry assembly  116 . 
     The ground plate assembly  114  includes a ground plate  118  and a pair of connection inserts  120   a,    120   b.  The connection inserts  120   a,    120   b  are configured to be coupled to a standard three pronged polarized plug. The ground plate  118  has a front face  122 , a rear face  124 , and a pair of apertures  126   a,    126   b  which extend therethrough from the front face  122  to the rear face  124 . The aperture  126   a  is positioned above aperture  126   b.  The connection insert  120   a  is positioned within the aperture  126   a  and is secured to the ground plate  118 . The connection insert  120   b  is positioned within the aperture  126   b  and is secured to the ground plate  118 . The connection inserts  120   a,    120   b  generally extend rearwardly from the rear face  124  of the ground plate  118 , but may also slightly extend forwardly from the front face  122 . 
     The electronic circuit assembly  116  includes a pair of circuit boards  128   a,    128   b,  a wire bundle  130 , and other electronic circuitry including, but not limited to, a sensing circuit (not shown), a trip switch (not shown), and first and second connection portions (not shown), all of which are electrically connected to one another. The circuit boards  128   a,    128   b  are preferably arranged in a perpendicular orientation. The wire bundle  130  is releasably electrically connected at a first end (not shown) thereof to one or both of the circuit boards  128   a,    128   b.  A second end (not shown) of the wire bundle  130  is electrically connected to the user interface assembly  28 , as will be discussed in further detail hereinbelow. The first connection portion (not shown) is configured to be electrically coupled to the connection insert  120   a  and the second connection portion (not shown) is configured to be electrically coupled to the connection insert  120   b.    
     The GFCI receptacle  24  is preferably positioned within the cavity  36  of the housing  22  when the front face  122  of the ground plate  118  is positioned against a rear surface of the front wall  98  of the sealing member  34 , such that the apertures  126   a,    126   b  of the ground plate  118  are in alignment with and in communication with, the ports  112   a,    112   b,  respectively, of the sealing member  34 . If portions of the connection inserts  120   a,    120   b  extend forwardly from the front face  122  of the ground plate  118 , these forward portions of the connection inserts  120   a,    120   b  can be positioned within the ports  112   a,    112   b,  respectively, of the sealing member  34 . Thus, forward portions of the connection inserts  120   a,    120   b  are configured as receiving portions, accessible through the ports  76   a/   112   a,    76   b/   112   b,  respectively, of the cover  32  and the sealing member  34 , which are adapted to receive a plug therein. The ports  112   a,    112   b  of the sealing member  34  also provide a seal between the ports  76   a,    76   b  and a mating plug upon connection. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3-4  the wire cover  26  is generally housed within the cavity  36  of the housing  22 . The wire cover  26  includes a forward portion  132 , a rearward portion  134 , and terminal mounts  136 . The forward portion  132  includes a top wall  138 , a bottom wall  140 , a first side wall  142 , and a second side wall  144 . The walls  138 ,  140 ,  142 ,  144  define front and rear faces  146 ,  148  of the forward portion  132  and an opening  150  which extends through the forward portion  132 . The rearward portion  134  includes a rear wall  152 , a top wall  154 , a bottom wall  156 , a first side wall  158 , and a second side wall  160 . The walls  154 ,  156 ,  158 ,  160  extend forward from the rear wall  152  to the rear face  148  of the forward portion  132 . The walls  152 ,  154 ,  156 ,  158 ,  160  also define an open cavity  164  therebetween. The opening  150  and the open cavity  164  are in communication with one another and collectively define an open cavity  166  of the wire cover  26 . The terminal mounts  136  are generally associated with one or both of the rear and bottom walls  152 ,  156 . The terminal mounts  136  are configured to be electrically connected to the electronic circuit assembly  116  of the GFCI receptacle  24  and provide wire securing lugs. Wires of the power distribution system are configured to extend into the cavity  36  of the housing  22  via the conduit  54  and are secured to the terminal mounts  136  by the wire securing lugs. The front face  146  of the wire cover  26  is configured to be positioned against either the rear face  124  of the ground plate  118  or the rear surface of the front wall  98  of the sealing member  34 . The wire cover  26 , cover  32 , and sealing member  34  can be secured together by any desired means, such as, for instance, by a plurality of screws. 
     As best shown in  FIGS. 4-6  the user interface assembly  28  is positioned outside of the housing  22 . The user interface assembly  28  is preferably secured to the housing  22  as described and illustrated hereinbelow, however, it is to be understood that the user interface assembly  28  could also be provided at a location remote from the housing  22  if desired. The user interface assembly  28  includes a user interface  168  and a sealing member  170 . 
     The user interface  168  includes a housing  172  and electronic circuitry  173  which is housed within the housing  172 . The housing  172  includes a top wall  174 , a bottom wall  176 , a front wall  178 , a rear wall  180 , a first side wall  182 , and a second side wall  184 , which collectively define a cavity  186  of the housing  172 . The electronic circuitry  173  is positioned within the cavity  186 . The top wall  174  of the housing  172  includes one or more openings  188  therethrough which allow for one or more portions of the electronic circuitry  173  within the housing  172  to be viewed. The top wall  174  of the housing  172  further includes one or more indices  190  which provide information regarding the one or more portions of the electronic circuitry  173  which are visible. The bottom wall  176  of the housing  172  includes an extension  192  that extends downwardly therefrom. The extension  192  is hollow and thus provides communication to the cavity  186  of the housing  172 . 
     The sealing member  170  is a generally flat member which has a top surface  194 , a bottom surface  196 , and an aperture  198  which extends therethrough from the top surface  194  to the bottom surface  196 . 
     The user interface assembly  28  is preferably positioned on the top wall  62  of the cover  32  of the housing  22 . The bottom surface  196  of the sealing member  170  is positioned against an outer surface of the top wall  62  of the cover  32  of the housing  22  such that the aperture  198  is in general alignment with and in communication with the aperture  74  of the housing  22 . The bottom wall  176  of the housing  172  of the user interface  168  is positioned on the top surface  194  of the sealing member  170  and the extension  192  of the user interface  168  extends into the aperture  198  of the sealing member  170 . The extension  192  of the user interface  168  may also extend into one or both of the apertures  74 ,  110  of the cover  32  and sealing member  34 , respectively, of the housing  22 . 
     The second end (not shown) of the wire bundle  130  is routed through the cavity  36  of the housing  22  as desired and extends into the cavity  186  of the housing  172  of the user interface  168  to be electrically connected to the electronic circuitry  173  housed therein. The wire bundle  130  thus extends through one or more of the hollow extension  192  of the housing  172  of the user interface  168 , the aperture  198  of the sealing member  170 , the aperture  74  of the cover  32 , and the aperture  110  of the sealing member  34 , depending on where the hollow extension  192  terminates. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6  the GFCI receptacle assembly  20  is configured to be a part of a building wiring system (now shown) which are connected to other GFCI receptacle assemblies throughout a building by conduit  54  with the wire conductors distributed within the conduit  54 . The wires of the power distribution system enter the GFCI receptacle assembly  20  and are secured to the terminal mounts  136  and electrically connected to the GFCI receptacle  24 . In a typical arrangement, the conduit system is also connected to earth. In this arrangement, a typical connection to a GFCI receptacle  24  includes a hot wire, a neutral wire, and a ground wire, where the ground wire is connected to the GFCI receptacle  24  via a jumper. 
     While the user interface assembly  28  is described and illustrated as being secured to the top wall  62  of the cover  32  of the housing  22 , it is to be understood that, through minor modification, the user interface assembly  28  could alternatively be secured to other walls of the cover  32  or junction box  30  of the housing  22 . In a further alternative, through minor modification, the user interface assembly  28  could alternatively not be secured to the housing  22 , and instead be positioned remotely from the housing  22 . 
     It is to be understood that the sealing members  34 ,  170  described herein are intended to be water resistant seals, thereby causing the GFCI receptacle assembly  20  to be water resistant, thereby inhibiting the entrance of moisture or debris into the GFCI receptacle assembly  20 . 
     The electrical connection provided between the user interface assembly  28  and the GFCI receptacle  24  allows for the remote operation of the circuit interrupter. The user interface assembly  28  further includes a test control and a reset control used to operate the GFCI receptacle  24 . The GFCI receptacle  24  is also configured to perform a series of tests to ensure that the GFCI receptacle  24  is connected properly. The openings  188  (in connection with the electronic circuitry  173  visible therethrough) and indices  190  of the top wall  174  of the user interface  168 , provide visual feedback to the mode and type of failure which may have occurred in operation causing the GFCI receptacle  24  to fail or trip during a fault or any miswiring that occurred during assembly. These tests include, but are not limited to, reverse polarity, open-ground, open-neutral, open-hot, hot-and-ground-reversed, hot-on-neutral, hot-unwired, Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) functional and receptacle tension. 
     It should be noted that in general, sealed plug and receptacle connectors for residential and business structures are provided with some degree of resistance to moisture and debris infiltration, a self-contained totally sealed system with GFCI capability is not typically available. Generally weather proof receptacles are sealed on the exterior only and once a plug is inserted into a socket, this connection is not sealed. A cover generally seals the exterior of the socket prior to connection and provided with a rotatable cover. In particular, GFCI receptacles which have associated reset and testing circuitry buttons located on the receptacle surface a completely sealed system has not been provided. By removing the testing and reset circuitry away from the receptacle face, the embodiment shows a completely sealed system. Additionally, this also provides the advantage of a remote user interface that is easily accessible to the user. The remote user interface also allows the incorporation of a feedback circuit to indicate the connection status and miswiring detection of the receptacle, which in the past was accomplished by a separate plug-in type tester. 
     It will be understood that there are numerous modifications of the illustrated embodiments described above which will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, such as many variations and modifications of the compression connector assembly and/or its components including combinations of features disclosed herein that are individually disclosed or claimed herein, explicitly including additional combinations of such features, or alternatively other types of contact array connectors. Also, there are many possible variations in the materials and configurations.