Patent Publication Number: US-9413106-B2

Title: Positive lock connector for small power couplers

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of Provisional U.S. patent application No. 61/890,816, filed Oct. 14, 2013, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to couplers for providing an electrical power connection. 
     BACKGROUND 
     An electrical power connector is used to attach an electronic device, such as an appliance or other powered device, to its power source via an inlet. Conventional electrical connectors have electrically conductive terminals connected to a power cable and fixed together in a housing. When in use, the electrical connector is engaged with an inlet for the electronic device, which is mounted on or within the device so as to supply electrical power to the device. The combination of the connector and the inlet is referred to as a coupler. The conventional electrical connector is readily detachable from the inlet. 
     Users encounter difficulties when using conventional electrical connectors as the connector may be too readily detached from the inlet. Laptop computer users, for example, often are required to sit in a location that is not close to a power outlet so the cord from the power connector stretches across an area where people may be passing, resulting in the cord being stepped upon and the cord being caught by people&#39;s feet or other objects, resulting in the electrical power connector being pulled from the laptop. While the other end of the cable to the electrical power connector could also be pulled from a wall outlet, the wall outlet connection is usually more resistive to detachment so the laptop connection is usually detached first. Similar problems occur when other electrical device inlets are connected to an electrical power connector that is not capable of being locked to the electrical device inlet. However, it is not always desirable to have the electrical power connector locked to the inlet as the electrical device may be damaged if the cord is pulled hard while the connector is locked to the inlet. 
     It is therefore desirable to provide an improved coupler that enables the electrical power connector to be selectively locked to the inlet of the electrical device. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure aims at overcoming the weaknesses of conventional connectors and providing an electrical power connector with positive locking connector suitable for small power connectors. 
     A coupler according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes a housing configured to affix individual lines of a multiline cable within the housing, the housing including a front portion for engaging an inlet, a rear portion, and an upper portion including a raised central area and at least one lowered side area; a sliding lock including a lock housing configured to slide over the raised central area and the at least one lowered side area and at least one spring arm affixed to the lock housing; and an outer mold configured to engage the rear portion of the housing and constrain the sliding lock within a gap formed between the housing and the outer mold; wherein the inlet includes an inlet housing having a front face and forming an interior cavity behind the front face, the interior cavity forming an interior wall within the interior cavity, wherein the inlet housing further forms at least one opening within the front face for receiving the at least one spring arm, wherein the sliding lock is configured to slide forward within the gap to engage the opening of the inlet and lock the sliding lock in place, thereby locking the connector to the inlet, and slide backward within the gap and disengage the inlet. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view showing an electrical connector of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view showing an electrical connector of the present disclosure inserted into an inlet with a first embodiment of a housing and sliding lock; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view showing an electrical connector of the present disclosure inserted into an inlet with a second embodiment of a housing and sliding lock; 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  are perspective views showing the front and back, respectively, of the sliding lock of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 4C  is a perspective view of the housing of the present disclosure; 
         FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D  are a collection of views showing an electrical connector of the present disclosure when the sliding lock is disengaged; 
         FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D  are a collection of views showing an electrical connector of the present disclosure when the sliding lock is engaged; 
         FIG. 7  is a front side view of an inlet for engaging an electrical connector of the present disclosure; 
         FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C  are a collection of perspective views showing a sliding lock and an electrical connector of the present disclosure engaging an inlet; and 
         FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9C  are a collection of perspective views showing a sliding lock and an electrical connector of the present disclosure disengaging an inlet. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
     While embodiments of an electrical power connector, for convenience and simplicity, are illustrated in the drawings and described herein, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to electrical power connectors and could equally apply to any type of connector, including data and signal connectors and non-electrical connectors, such as optical connectors. 
     An exploded view of an electrical connector  100  of the present disclosure is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The electrical connector  100  is illustrated as a C5 type of connector, as defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60320 standard for non-locking appliance couplers and interconnector couplers for the connection of powers supply cords to electrical appliances up to 250 volts. C5/C6 connectors have a unique clover-leaf or Mickey Mouse head shape and are frequently used for many small switched-mode power supplies that are used for computer laptops. IEC 60320 couplers are identified with the letter C, with a first number corresponding to the electrical connector and a second number, one number higher than the first, corresponding to the inlet. Hence, a C5 connector would only connect to a C6 inlet. While the present disclosure is illustrated for a C5/C6 appliance coupler, the present disclosure equally applies to C1/C2, C3/C4, C7/C8, C9/C10, C11/C12, C13/C14, C15/C16, C15A/C16A, C17/C18, C19/C20, C21/C22, and C23/C24, as well as any subsequently developed connectors of a similar type. 
     The C5 electrical connector  100  is comprised of a housing  102  over a portion of which the sliding lock  103 , having locking tabs  104 , is placed. An earth socket  106  and live/neutral sockets  107 , attached to conductors  109  (or other power, signal, or data carrying devices) of cable  108 , may then be inserted into the housing  102 . An outer mold  110  may then be placed over an end portion  112  of the housing  102 .  FIG. 2  shows the C5 connector  100  in cross-section as inserted into a C6 inlet  202 , with the sliding lock  103  engaged so that the locking tabs  104  may project into the inlet  202  and may engage an interior wall  204  of the inlet  202 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , and  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the sliding lock  103  includes a type of flat, cantilevered spring arm  206  that may be affixed at its lower end and folded back around to create a deformable upper end terminated by the locking tabs  104 . If the spring arm  206  is formed of a sufficiently deformable material, a side of the sliding lock  103  may be aligned quite close to the side of the housing  102 , as illustrated by the first embodiment within the dashed circle  208 , so that the spring arm is capable of substantially deforming in a vertical direction when pressure is applied by a user to a button on the top of the sliding lock. 
     As it may be desirable to have a more resistant spring force for spring arm  206 , a second embodiment is illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Sliding lock  300  includes spring arm  302 , which may be a flat spring, affixed at a lower end  304  and folded back over itself, like spring arm  206 . As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , spring arm  302  may have a shorter lower end  304  and a longer upper end  306 . Affixed to upper end  306  of spring arms  302  may be button  308 , which is more rounded than as shown in  FIG. 2  so it is less likely to engage the housing  310  when depressed by a user. As illustrated within the dashed circle  312 , the side of the housing  310  by the button  308  has also been angled to allow the button to tilt forward toward the housing  310  when depressed so the housing  310  does not resist the movement of the button  308 .  FIG. 3  also more fully illustrates the interaction between the upper end  306  of the spring arms  302 , and its locking tabs  314 , and the inlet  316 . When the sliding lock  300  is engaged and moved forward toward the inlet  316 , which has a hollow interior cavity, the locking tabs  314  of the spring arms  302  will enter the cavity of the inlet  316  through openings  318  far enough to enable the locking tabs to move upward and engage the interior wall  320  of the cavity, thereby locking the sliding lock  300  to the inlet  316 . 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  are perspective views showing the front and back, respectively, of the sliding lock  300  of  FIG. 3  so as to provide a clearer understanding of how the sliding lock  300  may be constructed and interact with the housing  400  illustrated in  FIG. 4C . The upper portion of the housing  400  may include a central raised portion  402  and two lowered side portions  404 . The central raised portion  402  may include a lip  406  that acts as a stopper for sliding lock  300 . The sliding lock  300  may be pushed over the end portion  408  of the housing and when the rear of the sliding lock  300  clears the lip  406 , the lip  406  may stop and prevent the sliding lock  300  from sliding back off the housing  400 . As noted in  FIG. 4B , the upper rear portion of the lock housing  409  of the sliding lock  300  may thicken from front to back to form a lower projection  410  that may engage the lip  402 . Alternately, the outer mold  110  may act as a stopper for the sliding lock  300 . Supports  412  may also be attached to the lock housing  409  at points  411  on either side of the lower projection  410 , so as to leave room for the central raised portion  402  of the housing  400  to move back and forth, and at points  413  on the sides of the lock housing  400 . The lower ends  414  of the spring arms  416  extend to the back of the lock housing  409  from the supports  412  and along with the supports extend downward from the upper portion of the lock housing  409  so that supports  412  and spring arms  416  may move within the open areas created by the two lowered side portions  404  of the housing  400 . 
     As further illustrated in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the spring arms  416  are folded back over themselves from the cantilevered points created by the supports  412  and form the upper portions  418  of the spring arms  416 , thereby forming the spring of the spring arms  416 . The button  308  of the sliding lock  300  is connected at points  420  to the upper portions  418  of both spring arms  416  so as to span the two and apply even pressure on both spring arms  300  when depressed by a user and to cause the locking tabs  314  to move toward the bottom of the lock housing  409 . Button  308  may include one or more grooves or other projections to enable a user to securely engage the button  308  without unnecessary slippage. 
       FIGS. 5A-5D  are a collection of views of the electrical connector  100  when the sliding lock is disengaged.  FIG. 5A  shows a top plan view of the electrical connector  100 ,  FIG. 5B  shows a front side view of the electrical connector  100 ,  FIG. 5C  shows a perspective view of the electrical connector  100 , and  FIG. 5D  shows a side view of the electrical connector  100  when the sliding lock  103  is pulled back toward the outer mold  110  in a disengaged position. The sliding lock  103  moves back and forth over the housing  102  within a gap  500  formed between the outer mold  110  (or a point close to it) and an end  502  of the housing  102 .  FIGS. 6A-6D  are a collection of views of the electrical connector  100  when the sliding lock is engaged. As illustrated, the sliding lock  103  is now moved up toward the end  502  of the housing  102  eliminating gap  500 , and creating gap  600  at the back of the sliding lock  103 . Hence, sliding lock  103  moves back and forth within the gaps  500  and  600  to engage and disengage the inlet  700  as shown in the front side view of  FIG. 7 . Inlet  700  includes two openings  702 , as described above with regard to openings  318  of inlet  316 , through which the locking tabs  104  of the sliding lock  103  project to engage the interior wall of the inlet and lock the sliding lock  103  in place. 
       FIGS. 8A-8C  are a collection of perspective views showing a sliding lock  800  of an electrical connector  802  engaging an inlet  804  and  FIGS. 9A-9C  are a collection of perspective views showing the sliding lock  800  of electrical connector  802  disengaging the inlet  804 . In  FIG. 8A  the connector  802  is aligned with the inlet  804  with the sliding lock  800  slid back to its disengaged position. To transition from  FIG. 8A  to  FIG. 8B , the connector  802  is moved along direction  810  while remaining aligned with inlet  804  to insert the connector  802  into the inlet  804 .  FIG. 8B  depicts the connector  802  inserted into the inlet  804 , with the sliding lock  800  in the disengaged (unlocked) position. To engage the sliding lock  800  and transition from  FIG. 8B  to  FIG. 8C , the sliding lock  800  is pushed forward along direction  814  toward the inlet and over connector  802 . In  FIG. 8C , the locking tabs of the sliding lock  800  will enter the openings of the inlet  804  and the user will continue to push the sliding lock  800  forward until the two locking tabs snap into their locked position inside the inlet  804 . The raised rectangular button  806  can be pressed down in direction  812  to aid the bending of the locking tabs as they enter the openings of the inlet  804 . In  FIG. 9A , the user presses down in direction  912  on the raised rectangular button  806  to disengage the locking tabs from the interior wall of the inlet  804 . In  FIG. 8B , the user slides the sliding lock  800  away from the inlet  804  in direction  914 , and in  FIG. 9C , pulls the connector  802  away from the inlet  804  along direction  910 . 
     Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed and is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, alternatives, and substitutions without departing from the spirit of the disclosure as set forth and recited by the following claims.