CN104471801A - Slim c5/c6 coupler - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments relate to a C5/C6 coupler having a substantially equivalent shape and size as a C7/C8 coupler. Embodiments relate to a power supply cord that provides an earth connection to the cord. Still more particularly, embodiments relate to a slim inlet that provides a make-first-and-break-last earth connection and prevents incompatible cords, different type of connectors, from being connected to the slim inlet.

Description

Small C5/C6 Coupling

Cross References to Related Applications

not applicable.

Contents of the invention

A first advantage of a small 3-terminal C6 AC inlet (from "miniature inlet") for a miniature C5 connector (from "miniature connector") according to an embodiment is that the housing of the miniature inlet has a small profile, the The small profile allows the housing to be incorporated into small electronic devices. A second advantage of the miniature connector according to the embodiment is that the grounding pin which is not in contact with the housing is arranged to meet the necessary safety requirements for consumer use. A third advantage of the miniature connector is that the configuration of the housing and/or pins of the miniature inlet prevents other types of connectors from being connected to embodiments of the miniature inlet.

According to an embodiment, a small inlet includes a housing having a front side and a rear side. A recessed cavity is formed in the surface of the front side of the housing. The recessed cavity has a first generally circular portion on a first side of the cavity, a second generally circular portion on a second side of the cavity, combining the first generally circular portion with the second generally circular The generally concave channel connecting the two parts, and the elongated groove recessed in the side wall of the generally concave channel.

The small inlet has a live, neutral and ground pin. The live pin is generally cylindrical and has a first end that protrudes from the housing to a first of a first generally circular portion and a second generally circular portion of the cavity. The neutral pin is also generally cylindrical and has a first end that protrudes from the housing to a second of the first and second generally circular portions of the cavity. The ground pin is generally flat and made of a bendable conductive material. The ground pin has a first end that protrudes from the housing into an elongated slot in a sidewall of the recess of the cavity and is configured to be deflectable within the slot. The ground pin is also configured in the slot such that the portion of the ground pin in the slot does not contact the surface of the slot when the pin is deflected.

According to some of these embodiments, the ground prong has a hook portion. The hook extends away from the housing from the first end of the ground pin and is folded under the first end of the pin. According to some of these embodiments, the hook further includes a protrusion protruding from the slot. According to some of these embodiments, the ground pin also protrudes farther from the housing than the live and neutral pins to facilitate make-before-break ground contact with the miniature connector. According to further embodiments, the ground pin may have a second end protruding from an opening in the second side of the housing.

According to some embodiments, the live and/or neutral pins are configured in the following manner. The pin includes a body having a first end and a second end. The first end protrudes from the housing into one of the generally circular portions of the recessed cavity in the first side of the housing. The contact pads are connected to the second side of the pins and are exposed through the openings in the second side of the housing. According to some of these embodiments, the contact pad includes a flat base that rests on the second end of the pin in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the pin. According to other of these embodiments, the protrusion extends outwardly from the end of the base in a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ferrule in a direction away from the ferrule body. Furthermore, the protrusion may have an end extending from an opening in the rear side of the housing. The exposed ends of the protrusions may include apertures to facilitate connection.

According to further embodiments, the recessed cavity prevents other types of connectors from being connected to the live and neutral pins in the housing. According to further embodiments, the live and neutral pins are spaced apart in the housing to prevent other types of connectors from being connected to the pins in the housing.

Statement of Invention Rights Pursuant to Federally Sponsored Research or Development

not applicable.

"Sequence Listings", Tables or Computer Program Listing Attachments See Submitted CD-ROMs

not applicable.

Background technique

Many electronic devices have removable power cords. Many types of connectors have been designed to connect wires to devices, and as the size of such devices decreases, the size of the connector must be minimized to fit into the housing of the device, eliminating many older and larger design feasibility. Several types of connectors, including but not limited to C7 connectors and C8 connectors, are designed with a low profile to fit into such devices. These types of connectors have a small connector housing that provides a connection that satisfies the safety requirements associated with two-pin connectors. For purposes of discussion, a dual-pin connector is a connector through which a connection is provided only between a live pin and a neutral pin.

Since many modern electronic devices incorporate delicate electronic circuitry that can be very susceptible to electrostatic discharge, it is problematic that many types of small connectors do not provide a grounding pin for grounding the connected circuitry. One problem with providing a small connector with a small profile is that the ground pin must be constructed so that it does not come into contact with the surrounding housing to prevent damage to the housing and any connected device through a short circuit in the connection circuit. In addition, the connector should prevent wires intended for other types of connectors from being used with the connector, thereby preventing the user from inserting the wrong connector into the device, which would result in a circuit overload and short circuit. Accordingly, those skilled in the art are continually striving to provide miniature connectors for power cords that meet all the safety requirements required for consumer use and that include a grounding pin.

Description of drawings

The above and other features and advantages of the embodiments are described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 illustrates a front perspective view of an embodiment of a small inlet;

Figure 2 illustrates a rear perspective view of the embodiment of the small inlet shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 illustrates an isolated view of the second end of the pin according to the embodiment of the small inlet shown in Figure 1;

Fig. 4 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the miniature inlet according to Fig. 1 during insertion into the miniature connector, wherein the pins of the miniature inlet are aligned with the terminals of the miniature connector.

Figure 5 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the miniature inlet according to Figure 1 during insertion of the miniature connector at a downward angle;

Figure 6 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the miniature inlet according to Figure 1 during insertion of the miniature connector at an upward angle;

Figure 7 illustrates a detailed cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a miniature connector inserted into a miniature inlet;

FIGS. 8A-8C illustrate a ground spring with multiple defects, including a high impact angle between the ground spring of the miniature inlet and the corresponding ground contact of the miniature connector;

Figure 9 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a miniature connector with ground contacts that violate International Electrotechnical Commission guidelines;

10A and 10B illustrate detailed views of a ground spring having a hooked end that reduces the distance between the ground spring of the miniature inlet and the corresponding ground contact of the miniature connector, according to an embodiment. The collision angle between;

Figure 11 illustrates a partial bottom view of the ground spring assembled into a small inlet according to Figure 10A;

12A and 12B illustrate partial cross-sectional views of the ground spring according to FIG. 10A when partially assembled and when fully assembled into the housing of the small inlet;

Fig. 13 illustrates the outline of the ground spring according to Fig. 8A and the ground spring according to Fig. 10A;

Figure 14 illustrates a miniature C5 connector according to an embodiment;

Figure 15 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the miniature connector according to Figure 14, wherein the ground contacts of the miniature connector are shown not supported by the insulator; and

FIG. 16 illustrates a partial top view of the front end of the miniature connector according to FIG. 14 .

Detailed ways

Embodiments relate to C5/C6 couplings that are roughly comparable in shape and size to C7/C8 couplings. More particularly, embodiments relate to power cords that provide a ground connection to the cord. More particularly, embodiments relate to what is known as a mini-entry that provides a make-before-break ground connection and prevents incompatible wires, ie different types of connectors, from being connected to the mini-entry. In an embodiment, the small inlet comprises an AC inlet for a connector having a contact surface having a width of about 22 millimeters or less and a height of about 15 millimeters or less. However, changes to these dimensions can be made without departing from the disclosure. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the actual dimensions may differ from those stated above as long as the shape and size of the C6 inlet is substantially comparable to that of the C8 inlet.

Figure 1 illustrates a small inlet 100 according to an embodiment. The mini-portal 100 includes a housing 110 having a front side 115 and a rear side 116 . Housing 110 is made of plastic material or some other form of non-conductive material. Housing 110 is shown as having a generally cubic shape; however, those skilled in the art will recognize that housing 110 may be of other geometric shapes without departing from this disclosure. Housing 110 can have a width of about 22 millimeters or less, a height of about 15 millimeters or less, and a length of about 15 millimeters or less, but as noted above, other sizes are possible without departing from this disclosure. It is possible. Embodiments of the mini inlet 100 offer an advantage over conventional three-pin C5/C6 connectors: the smaller size enables the mini inlet to be integrated into thinner and smaller electronic devices.

The housing 110 includes a recessed cavity 120 formed therein that begins or opens from the front side 115 of the housing 110 . The recessed cavity 120 extends approximately 10 millimeters deep from the surface of the front side 115 . The recessed cavity 120 includes two recesses formed by its sidewalls, a first substantially circular portion 122 formed on a first side of the recessed cavity 120 , and a second round portion 122 formed on a second side of the recessed cavity 120 . Two roughly circular parts 123 . The housing 110 includes a truncated generally V-shaped portion 124 that extends between the first generally circular portion 122 and the second generally circular portion 123 and helps to align the portions 122 and 123 . 123 is provided in a substantially circular shape. The recessed cavity 120 also includes a recessed portion or channel 125 opposite a V-shaped portion 124 formed between the first generally circular portion 122 and the second generally circular portion 123 . In an embodiment, the recessed cavity 120 is shaped so as to prevent other types of connectors (for safety purposes) from being used in conjunction with the mini-portal 100 . For example, a C1 connector or a C7 connector is not fitted into the recessed cavity 120 to prevent the pins in these connectors from contacting the pins inside the recessed cavity 120 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other configurations are possible that satisfy the conditions given above without departing from the present disclosure. The small entry implementation also precludes mating with other existing connectors by using widened power pin pitches and mismatched profiles.

The groove 127 is an indentation formed in one of the sidewalls of the concave portion 125 of the concave cavity 120 . Slot 127 is approximately 3 millimeters wide and 1.3 millimeters high. The precise dimensions of the slot 127 can be determined such that the flexible ground spring 150 - described further below - does not contact the sidewalls of the slot 127, even when the flexible ground spring 150 is at maximum deflection. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the precise dimensions of slot 127 must be determined based on the shape, length and elasticity of ground spring 150 and are left as a design choice to those skilled in the art.

As shown in FIG. 1 , live pin 130 and neutral pin 140 protrude from rear side 116 of housing 110 into recessed cavity 120 . The live pin 130 protrudes into the first substantially circular portion 122 and the neutral pin 140 protrudes into the second substantially circular portion 123 . Those skilled in the art will recognize that the configuration of the pins in the housings may be interchanged without departing from this disclosure.

The ground spring 150 has a first portion extending from the rear side 116 of the housing to the front side 115 into the slot 127 . The ground spring 150 is formed from a sheet of flexible conductive material. The shape of ground spring 150 is described more fully below, but the shape and design of ground spring 150 allows ground spring 150 to flex or deflect within slot 127 in response to a suitable connector being inserted into housing 110 of miniature inlet 100 . In one embodiment, the ground spring 150 can be sized such that the ground spring 150 does not contact any surface of the slot 127, even when the ground spring 150 reaches maximum deflection. The protruding end of the ground spring 150 can include a hook, such as illustrated with reference to FIG. 4 . The hook portion is the portion of the pin that is folded under the first portion to facilitate contact with the ground pin contact of the inserted connector. The hook portion can include a bump or portion of the pin that protrudes upward from the upper surface of the ground spring 150 to facilitate make-before-break contact with the ground pin contact of an inserted connector. . To further facilitate make-before-break contact, the ground spring 150 can also protrude farther from the housing in the recessed cavity 120 than the live and neutral pins 130, 140.

FIG. 2 illustrates a rear view of the small inlet 100 . An opening 132 and an opening 142 are formed in the rear side 116 of the housing 110 . Opening 132 exposes contact pad 135 on the second end of live pin 130 and opening 142 exposes contact pad 145 on the second end of neutral pin 140 . Contact pads 135 and 145 are each a flat piece of conductive material attached to the second end of live pin 130 and the second end of neutral pin 140 , respectively. Contact pads 135 and 145 are oriented such that the surfaces of contact pads 135 and 145 are each substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the corresponding pin. As shown, each of the contact pads 135 and 145 may have a protrusion 136 , 146 extending outwardly from the ends of the contact pads 135 and 145 . Protrusion 136, protrusion 146 each extend outwardly from the pad in a plane generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ferrule. Additionally, each of the protrusions 136, 146 may have an opening 138, 148 defined therein to facilitate connection. The second end of the ground pin 150 may also extend beyond the bottom end of the rear side 116, and the second end may also have an opening defined in the exposed end to facilitate connection.

FIG. 3 illustrates a view of the second end of the exemplary live pin 130 and/or neutral pin 140 . As can be seen from FIG. 3 , an O-ring 310 may be attached to the second end of the pin adjacent to the contact pad 135 and contact pad 145 , the O-ring 310 allowing the pin to be press fitted through the housing. opening to secure the pins in place in the housing. The use of O-rings allows each pin to be inserted into the housing without contacting any surface of the housing 110 to meet various safety requirements.

4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a second mating mini-connector 405 to be inserted into mini-inlet 100, wherein housing 116 is not shown to better illustrate: ground spring 150 and pins 130 of mini-inlet 100 , 140 interacts with the corresponding ground pin contact 402 of the mated connector 405 and the power outlet 400 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the ground spring 150 is connected to the ground pin of the connector 405 inserted into the small inlet 100 prior to any connection of the live wire pin and the neutral pin to the corresponding live wire power outlet and the neutral power outlet. The contacts 402 make contact. This ensures that the circuit is grounded before the miniature inlet is electrically connected to the connector (plug) for safety reasons. Also, those skilled in the art will appreciate that when the connector 405 is removed, each spring 150 will remain in contact with the ground pin contact 402 of the mini-inlet 100 until the live pin and neutral from the mini-inlet 100 After the wire pin is separated from the corresponding live wire power socket and the neutral wire power socket of the connector 405.

5 and 6 also illustrate cross-sectional views of the connector 405 inserted into the mini-inlet at different angles. As can be seen from FIGS. 5 and 6 , the location and length of the ground spring 150 is such that regardless of the angle of insertion of the connector 405 , the ground spring 150 first contacts the ground pin contacts of the miniature connector inserted into the miniature inlet. touch. In FIG. 5, connector 405 is inserted at a downward angle, while in FIG. 6, connector 405 is inserted at an upward angle. Circle 500 marks the ground spring 150 that first made contact with the ground pin contact, while circle 502 marks the pins 130 , 140 that have not yet made contact with the corresponding electrical outlet.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the miniature connector 700 inserted into the miniature inlet 100 . The live pin 130 and the neutral pin 140 of the small inlet 100 are in contact with the corresponding power socket 702 of the connector 700 representing the live terminal and the neutral terminal. The ground spring 150 is positioned over a slot formed along the bottom of the mini-inlet 100 and contacts the ground contact 704 of the connector 700 before the prongs 130 , 140 make contact with the corresponding power receptacle 702 . As indicated above, the power pins are the same size as those in a standard C8 inlet. Similarly, the size and recessed distance of the power socket can be the same size and recessed distance as a standard C7 connector. In one embodiment, the ground spring 150 and the ground contacts of the corresponding connector are clear from the power pins by more than about 4 millimeters. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, the ground spring 150 and the ground contact 704 of the corresponding connector are no closer than about 2 millimeters from the power pins. As mentioned above, the embodiments can vary from the above mentioned dimensions without departing from the true spirit of the invention.

8A-8C illustrate views of a design of the ground spring 800 that are not preferred for a number of reasons. First, the impact angle of the ground spring 800 with the corresponding ground contact of the miniature connector, such as the ground contact 706 of the miniature connector 700, is designed to be approximately 64 degrees. As illustrated in FIG. 8C , this high impact angle can cause the ground spring 800 to fail due to buckling or deformation of the ground spring 800 when the miniature connector 700 is inserted into the miniature inlet 100 . The ground spring 800 also has no locking mechanism to retain the ground spring 800 in the housing 110 . Ultimately, pushing the ground spring 800 directly results in deformation of the ground spring 800 since the ground spring 800 does not have a bearing to press the ground spring 800 into the housing 110 .

8B also illustrates ground spring 800 in contact with ground pin contact 704 of miniature connector 700 when inserted into miniature inlet 100 according to FIG. 8A . 8C illustrates that the impact angle for the ground spring 800 is approximately 64 degrees, which combined with the insertion force of the connector 700 into the miniature inlet 100 causes the ground spring 800 to bend and cause the ground spring 800 to fail. .

9 also illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a connector 900 having ground contacts 902, which is not preferred because it does not comply with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) guidelines. In particular, the ground contact 902 of the connector 900 is supported by the insulating portion 904 . According to the IEC standard, the ground contact of the connector is not supported by the insulation at the contact portion.

Embodiments disclosed herein address the high impact angles of ground springs in small inlets as illustrated in FIGS. 8A-8C and provide small connectors that do not pass through insulation as illustrated in FIG. 9 to support the ground contact.

FIG. 10A illustrates a ground spring 150 according to this embodiment. The ground spring 150 includes a linearly upwardly sloped portion attached to a generally rectangular hook or end 1004 by a slightly curved uppermost portion 1006 . Other shapes than a generally rectangular shape can be used for the hook 1004 as long as such other shapes do not cause the ground spring 150 to clip on portions of the miniature connector when the miniature connector is inserted or removed.

The ground pin contact 1002 of the miniature connector makes initial contact with the front edge of the hook 1004 . The design of the ground spring 150 , including the shape and orientation of the hooks, reduces the angle of impact between the ground spring 150 and the ground pin contact 1002 . FIG. 10B illustrates a design of the ground spring 150 with a strike angle of about 30 degrees, although the strike angle may be anywhere between about 0 degrees and about 45 degrees. When the miniature connector is pushed and inserted into the miniature inlet, the ground spring 150 is pushed down and biased up, maintaining the connection between the miniature inlet's ground spring 150 and the miniature connector's ground contact 1002 .

FIG. 11 illustrates a partial bottom view of the ground spring 150 assembled in the small inlet 100 . Embodiments of the ground spring 150 can also include a latch 1010 that helps hold the ground spring 150 in place and prevents the ground spring 150 from moving due to insertion force.

12A illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of ground spring 150 inserted into housing 110 of mini-inlet 100 during assembly of mini-inlet 100 . The ground spring 150 is inserted through the opening 1022 by pushing the end of the ground spring 159 (opposite the hooked end) until the stop hook 1020 abuts against the ground spring bearing area 1024 . FIG. 12B illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of ground spring 150 when fully inserted into housing 110 . The stop hook 1020 holds the ground spring 150 in place and prevents movement of the ground spring 150 in response to the miniature connector inserted into the housing 110 of the miniature inlet 100 . As indicated above, the support provided by the stop hook 1020 prevents the ground spring 150 from deforming due to the insertion force of the miniature connector.

13 compares the profile of a ground spring 800 having an impact angle of approximately 64 degrees to the profile of an embodiment of the improved ground spring 150 having an impact angle of approximately 30 degrees, but the impact in the embodiment of the improved ground spring 150 The angle can be any angle between about 0 degrees and about 45 degrees. In the ground spring 150 , the contact point between the ground spring 150 and the ground contact of the miniature connector is at the uppermost point 1006 of the hook portion (hook end) of the ground spring 150 . In contrast, in the ground spring 800 , the contact point is located relatively further outward at the contact point 810 .

FIG. 14 illustrates a miniature C5 connector 1400 according to an embodiment. In particular, the connector 1400 includes ground contacts 1402 that are not supported by insulation at the front end 1404 of the connector 1400 . 15 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of front end 1404 of plug 1400 showing ground contacts 1402 not being supported by insulation. In an embodiment, the connector 1400 is a 2-pole straight connector, such as the VAC7S connector manufactured by VOLEX Group pic. The ground contacts 1402 can include crimp ground pins that fit into slots open on the bottom of the front end 1404 of the connector 1400 .

FIG. 16 illustrates a partial top view of the front end 1404 of the connector 1400 . In connector 1400, the live and neutral terminals are assembled with a depth of about 1 millimeter, thereby changing the range of the terminal assembly from about 3-3.8 millimeters to about 4-4.8 millimeters. The distance 1600 is roughly equal to 4mm. After moving the live and neutral terminal assemblies deeper, and incorporating the improved ground spring 150 , the connector 1400 enables good make-before-break ground contact with the ground spring 150 of the small inlet 100 . As discussed above, Figure 4 illustrates how the movement of the live and neutral terminal assemblies achieves a make-before-break ground contact where the ground spring engages the ground pin before the power pin makes contact with the corresponding power terminal. needle contact. As illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, the make-before-break ground contact is maintained even when the connector is inserted into the small inlet at the upper limit position or at the lower limit position. Finally, as mentioned above, embodiments can vary from the dimensions presented herein without departing from the true spirit of the invention. In the present case, assembling the live and neutral terminal assemblies slightly deeper helps ensure a make-before-break ground contact with the ground spring 150 .

While the present disclosure illustrates and describes a preferred embodiment and several alternatives, it will be appreciated that the technology described herein is capable of numerous additional uses and applications. Accordingly, the invention should not be limited to the specific description contained in this specification and the drawings which merely illustrate the various embodiments and the application of the principles of these embodiments.

Claims (as amended under Article 19 of the Treaty)

1. A power inlet for an electrical connector, comprising:

A housing having a front side and a rear side, wherein a recessed cavity is formed within the housing from an opening in a surface of the front side, wherein the recessed cavity has a first a generally circular portion, a second generally circular portion on a second side, a generally concave channel connecting the first generally circular portion and the second generally circular portion, and a recess in the generally circular portion an elongated slot in the side wall of the recessed channel;

a live pin having a first end protruding from the housing into the first generally circular portion, wherein the live pin has a generally cylindrical shape;

a neutral pin having a first end protruding from the housing into the second generally circular portion, wherein the neutral pin has a generally cylindrical shape; and

a ground spring having a first end protruding from the housing into the elongated slot, wherein a portion of the first end of the ground spring is exposed in the slot and configured to when The ground pin of the mating connector is deflected out of contact with the surface of the slot.

2. The portal of claim 1, further comprising:

A hook portion of the ground spring extending away from the first end of the ground spring away from the housing and bent under the first end of the ground spring.

3. The inlet of claim 2, wherein the hook portion of the ground spring further comprises a protrusion of the ground spring protruding from the slot.

4. The inlet of claim 1, wherein the protrusion contacts the ground pin at an angle between about 0 degrees and about 45 degrees relative to the ground pin.

5. The inlet of claim 1 , wherein the ground spring protrudes farther from the housing than the live and neutral pins to facilitate prior alignment with the ground pin. A ground contact that breaks when closed.

6. The portal of claim 1, further comprising:

A contact pad is connected to a second end of the live pin exposed through an opening formed in the rear side of the housing.

7. The inlet of claim 6, wherein the contact pad comprises:

A flat base that rests on the second end of the live pin in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the live pin.

8. The inlet of claim 7, wherein the contact pad further comprises:

A protrusion extending outwardly from an end of the base in a direction away from the live pin in a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the live pin.

9. The portal of claim 8, further comprising:

An end of the protrusion extending from the opening in the rear side of the housing, the end of the protrusion having an aperture formed in an exposed portion of the end.

10. The portal of claim 1, further comprising:

A contact pad connected to a second end of the neutral pin exposed through an opening formed in the rear side of the housing.

11. The inlet of claim 10, wherein the contact pad comprises:

A flat base that rests on the second end of the neutral pin in a plane generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the neutral pin.

12. The inlet of claim 11, wherein the contact pad further comprises:

A protrusion extending outward from one end of the base in a direction away from the neutral pin in a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the neutral pin.

13. The portal of claim 12, further comprising:

An end of the protrusion extending from the opening in the rear side of the housing, the end of the protrusion having an aperture formed in an exposed portion of the end.

14. The portal of claim 1, further comprising:

A second end of the ground spring extends from the rear side of the housing.

15. The portal of claim 14, further comprising:

An exposed portion of the second end of the ground spring, the exposed portion having an opening formed therethrough.

16. The inlet of claim 1, wherein the recessed cavity is shaped to prevent an electrically incompatible connector from being connected to the live and neutral pins of the connector.

17. The inlet of claim 1, wherein the live pin and the ground spring are spaced apart in the housing to prevent electrically incompatible connectors from being used with the connector.

18. A C6 power inlet, comprising:

a housing having dimensions approximately comparable to those of a standard C8 power inlet and a shape approximately comparable to that of a standard C8 power inlet, the housing forming a recessed cavity having a first cylinder shaped opening, a second cylindrical opening, and a slot formed along the bottom of the longitudinal axis of the housing and positioned between the first cylindrical opening and the second cylindrical opening;

a live wire pin housed in the first cylindrical opening and protruding from the rear plane of the housing;

a neutral pin housed within the second cylindrical opening and protruding from the rear plane of the housing; and

a cantilevered ground spring positioned in the slot, a first end of the ground spring formed protruding above the slot and protruding beyond the live wire pin and the neutral pin a hook portion, wherein the hook portion is deflectable and configured to reduce the impact angle between the ground spring and the ground pin contact of the C5 connector and facilitate contact with the ground pin contact A ground contact that closes and then breaks.

19. The C6 power inlet of claim 18, wherein the shape of the recessed cavity prevents other types of connectors from being connected to the live and neutral pins.

20. The C6 power inlet of claim 18, wherein said ground spring further comprises a latch positioned proximate said second end of said ground spring proximate said rear plane of said housing, said The latch holds the ground spring in place by exerting a force against the first and second side walls of the slot.

21. The C6 power inlet according to claim 18, wherein said ground spring further comprises a stop hook, said stop hook is perpendicular to said ground by placing the first end of the bottom of said ground spring The longitudinal axis of the spring is formed by bending downwards at approximately 90 degrees, the stop hook abutting against a bearing area formed along the groove.

22. A power inlet for an electrical connector, the power inlet comprising:

fire wire pin;

Neutral pin;

A housing enclosing the live pin and the neutral pin, the housing having a front side and a rear side, wherein a depression is formed in the housing from an opening in a surface of the front side a cavity, the housing includes a longitudinal slot formed between the live pin and the neutral pin and recessed along the bottom plane of the housing; and

a ground spring having a first end protruding from the housing into the elongated slot, wherein a portion of the first end of the ground spring is exposed in the slot, the ground spring The hook portion of the ground spring extends away from the housing from the first end of the ground spring and is bent below the first end of the ground spring, wherein the hook portion of the ground spring further includes the The protrusion of the ground pin protrudes from the slot.

Claims (22)

1. A power inlet for an electrical connector, comprising: A housing having a front side and a rear side, wherein a recessed cavity is formed within the housing from an opening in a surface of the front side, wherein the recessed cavity has a first a generally circular portion, a second generally circular portion on a second side, a generally concave channel connecting the first generally circular portion and the second generally circular portion, and a recess in the generally circular portion an elongated slot in the side wall of the recessed channel; a live pin having a first end protruding from the housing into the first generally circular portion, wherein the live pin has a generally cylindrical shape; a neutral pin having a first end protruding from the housing into the second generally circular portion, wherein the neutral pin has a generally cylindrical shape; and a ground spring having a first end protruding from the housing into the elongated slot, wherein a portion of the first end of the ground spring is exposed in the slot and configured to when The ground pin of the mating connector is deflected out of contact with the surface of the slot. 2. The portal of claim 1, further comprising: A hook portion of the ground spring extending away from the first end of the ground spring away from the housing and bent under the first end of the ground spring. 3. The inlet of claim 2, wherein the hook portion of the ground spring further comprises a protrusion of the ground spring protruding from the slot. 4. The inlet connector of claim 1, wherein the protrusion contacts the ground pin at an angle between about 0 degrees and about 45 degrees relative to the ground pin. 5. The inlet connector of claim 1 , wherein the ground spring protrudes farther from the housing than the live and neutral pins to facilitate contact with the ground pin. A ground contact that is made first and then broken. 6. The portal of claim 1, further comprising: A contact pad is connected to a second end of the live pin exposed through an opening formed in the rear side of the housing. 7. The inlet of claim 6, wherein the contact pad comprises: A flat base that rests on the second end of the live pin in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the live pin. 8. The inlet of claim 7, wherein the contact pad further comprises: A protrusion extending outwardly from an end of the base in a direction away from the live pin in a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the live pin. 9. The portal of claim 8, further comprising: An end of the protrusion extending from the opening in the rear side of the housing, the end of the protrusion having an aperture formed in an exposed portion of the end. 10. The portal of claim 1, further comprising: A contact pad connected to a second end of the neutral pin exposed through an opening formed in the rear side of the housing. 11. The inlet of claim 10, wherein the contact pad comprises: A flat base that rests on the second end of the neutral pin in a plane generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the neutral pin. 12. The inlet of claim 11, wherein the contact pad further comprises: A protrusion extending outward from one end of the base in a direction away from the neutral pin in a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the neutral pin. 13. The portal of claim 12, further comprising: An end of the protrusion extending from the opening in the rear side of the housing, the end of the protrusion having an aperture formed in an exposed portion of the end. 14. The portal of claim 1, further comprising: A second end of the ground spring extends from the rear side of the housing. 15. The portal of claim 13, further comprising: An exposed portion of the second end of the ground spring, the exposed portion having an opening formed therethrough. 16. The inlet of claim 1, wherein the recessed cavity is shaped to prevent an electrically incompatible connector from being connected to the live and neutral pins of the connector. 17. The inlet of claim 1, wherein the live pin and the ground spring are spaced apart in the housing to prevent electrically incompatible connectors from being used with the connector. 18. A C6 power inlet, comprising: a housing having dimensions approximately comparable to those of a standard C8 power inlet and a shape approximately comparable to that of a standard C8 power inlet, the housing forming a recessed cavity having a first cylinder shaped opening, a second cylindrical opening, and a slot formed along the bottom of the longitudinal axis of the housing and positioned between the first cylindrical opening and the second cylindrical opening; a live wire pin housed in the first cylindrical opening and protruding from the rear plane of the housing; a neutral pin housed within the second cylindrical opening and protruding from the rear plane of the housing; and a cantilevered ground spring positioned in the slot, a first end of the ground spring formed protruding above the slot and protruding beyond the live wire pin and the neutral pin a hook portion, wherein the hook portion is deflectable and configured to reduce the impact angle between the ground spring and the ground pin contact of the C5 connector and facilitate contact with the ground pin contact A ground contact that closes and then breaks. 19. The C6 power inlet of claim 18, wherein the shape of the recessed cavity prevents other types of connectors from being connected to the live and neutral pins. 20. The C6 power inlet of claim 18, wherein said ground spring further comprises a latch positioned proximate said second end of said ground spring proximate said rear plane of said housing, said The latch holds the ground spring in place by exerting a force against the first and second side walls of the slot. 21. The C6 power inlet according to claim 18, wherein said ground spring further comprises a stop hook, said stop hook is perpendicular to said ground by placing the first end of the bottom of said ground spring The longitudinal axis of the spring is formed by bending downwards at approximately 90 degrees, the stop hook abutting against a bearing area formed along the groove. 22. A power inlet for an electrical connector, the power inlet comprising: fire wire pin; Neutral pin; A housing enclosing the live pin and the neutral pin, the housing having a front side and a rear side, wherein a depression is formed in the housing from an opening in a surface of the front side a cavity, the housing includes a longitudinal slot formed between the live pin and the neutral pin and recessed along the bottom plane of the housing; and a ground spring having a first end protruding from the housing into the elongated slot, wherein a portion of the first end of the ground spring is exposed in the slot, the ground spring The hook portion of the ground spring extends away from the housing from the first end of the ground spring and is bent below the first end of the ground spring, wherein the hook portion of the ground spring further includes the The protrusion of the ground pin protrudes from the slot.