GB2589001A

GB2589001A - Socket

Info

Publication number: GB2589001A
Application number: GB2014767.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wu Donghu
Original assignee: Schneider Electric Australia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Schneider Electric Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2019-09-30
Filing date: 2020-09-18
Publication date: 2021-05-19
Anticipated expiration: 2040-09-18
Also published as: CN210640422U; GB2589001B; GB202014767D0; MY198031A

Abstract

Electrical socket comprising: a base 7, a cavity including metal contact (71, fig 22B), a platform 6 within cavity, a cover 1 mounted on base which closes the cavity and further includes holes for receiving inserted plug pins, i.e holes 18 for LN (91) poles and hole 17 for ground (earth) poles; a protection gate (safety shutter) assembly to close the holes at an initial position and including: a first protection gate 3 (fig 5) attached to an attaching side of the cover 1 (see fig 3B) facing the cavity and including a protrusion (31, fig 5) for a grounding pole aligned with hole 17 for the grounding pole and a rod (39m, fig 5) connected to the grounding pole protrusion; and a second protection gate 4 which is mounted on the platform 6, the second protection gate also including protrusions (41, fig 8) for LN poles aligned with the LN pole holes and a recess 48 for receiving the first gate’s rod 39. When suitable plug’s grounding pin is inserted into the grounding pole hole 17, the protection gate assembly moves protrusion 31 towards the base and displaces the first protection gate 3 to move in an interlocking manner the second protection gate 4 relative to the platform, thereby allowing the plug to pass through the holes to form an electrical connection with the metal contact. Motion of the first protection gate involves a swivel rotation and then a sliding translation motion in guides. Motion of the second protection gate involves rotation about a pivot. The interlocking manner of the two protection gates (shutters) reduces risk of electrical shock by preventing tiny objects or fingers entering the socket holes.

Description

SOCKET

FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a socket, and more specifically, to a socket provided with protection gates for holes.

BACKGROUND

[0002] As a common electrical connection device, a socket can connect an electrical/electronic device to a power supply or a signal source/signal receiving end by inserting plugs of the electrical/electronic device into holes of the socket.

[0003] General sockets with exposed holes are potentially dangerous because users may accidentally stick foreign matter without difficulty into the exposed holes, causing electrical shock and short circuit among other accidents. In particular, young children may stick their fingers or tiny objects (such as thin wire) into the exposed holes purely out of curiosity and thus get an electrical shock. In addition, dust or foreign matters tend to accumulate in the exposed holes, which may further lead to clogged holes or unsatisfactory electric conduction.

[0004] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a socket that not only can avoid the above risks, but also has a more aesthetic appearance and improved reliability.

SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a socket to at least partially solve the above other potential problems in traditional solutions.

[0006] According to one aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a socket.

The socket may comprise: a base including a cavity for receiving a metal contact; a platform arranged in the cavity of the base; a cover mounted on the base to at least partially close the cavity and including holes into which pins of a plug are inserted, wherein the holes include holes for LN poles into which LN pole pins of the pins are inserted and a hole for a grounding pole into which a grounding pin of the pins is inserted; a protection gate assembly adapted to close the holes at an initial position and including: a first protection gate attached to an attaching side of the cover facing the cavity, the first protection gate including a protrusion for the grounding pole aligned with the hole for the grounding pole and a rod connected to the protrusion for the grounding pole; and a second protection gate mounted on the platform, the second protection gate including protrusions for the LN poles aligned with the holes for the LN poles and a recess for receiving the rod: wherein the protection gate assembly is arranged to, in response to the grounding pin being inserted into the hole for the grounding pole to move the protrusion for the grounding pole towards the base, displace the first protection gate to move the second protection gate relative to the platform, thereby allowing the plug to pass through the holes to form an electrical connection with the metal contact.

[0007] The socket in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure has a smooth appearance. A socket surface is seen to have almost no slits when observed from the outside of the socket. Accordingly, dust will not accumulate in the holes and more importantly, the risk of inserting tiny objects into the holes of the socket is eliminated.

100081 In some embodiments, the protection gate assembly is arranged such that an outer surface of the protrusion for the grounding pole and an outer surface of the protrusions for the LN poles are both coplanar with an outer surface of the cover facing away from the cavity when the protection gate assembly is at the initial position.

[0009] In some embodiments, the socket further comprises a spring assembly adapted to keep the protection gate assembly at the initial position or return the protection gate assembly to the initial position, wherein the spring assembly includes: a first spring arranged between the first protection gate and fixed wings along a first direction in parallel to the attaching side, the fixed wings being perpendicularly disposed on the attaching side; and a second spring arranged between the second protection gate and the platform along a second direction perpendicular to the attaching side.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first spring is a coil spring including a first short arm which is configured to extend outwards from one end of the first spring adjacent to the first protection gate along an extension direction of the coil spring and embedded in a mounting hole formed in the first protection gate, so as to keep the first protection gate in parallel to the cover when the first protection gate is not moved and is at the initial position.

[0011] In some embodiments, the cover further comprises a sliding frame arranged on the attaching side to form a sliding groove between the sliding frame and the attaching side; and the first protection gate further comprises a protruding shaft movably mounted in the sliding groove, such that the first protection gate, when being moved towards the base, can move relative to the cover.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first protection gate further includes a stop recess disposed at one side of the protrusion for the grounding pole; and the cover further comprises a first stop formed on the attaching side; wherein the stop recess is configured to be blocked by the first stop to prevent the first protection gate from translating along a first direction in parallel to the attaching side, and the stop recess can disengage from the blocking of the first stop as the first protection gate is moved towards the base to rotate about the protruding shaft.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first protection gate further includes a sliding surface formed adjacent to a first end of the rod of the first protection gate; the platform further includes a sliding rail formed on one side of the platform facing the cover; wherein the sliding surface is configured to contact the sliding rail when the stop recess disengages from the blocking of the first stop; and wherein the first protection gate, when being further moved towards the base, can slide along the first direction, such that the rod of the first protection gate presses the second protection gate towards the base along a second direction perpendicular to the attaching side, to disengage the protrusions for the LN poles from the holes for the LN poles.

[0014] In some embodiments, the second protection gate further includes a through hole; the platform further includes a guide post which protrudes from the platform towards the cover along the second direction and is movably mounted in the through hole of the second protection gate; wherein, as the first protection gate continues to slide along the first direction, the second protection gate is adapted to rotate about the guide post until the protrusions for the LN poles are completely disengaged from the holes for the LN poles, such that the plug can be inserted into the base to be electrically connected to the metal contact.

[0015] In some embodiments, the platform further includes a plurality of second stops formed around the guide post, wherein the plurality of second stops is configured to, when only the second protection gate is moved, prevent the protrusions for the LN poles from disengaging from the holes for the LN poles by abutting against a surface of the second protection gate facing the platform.

[0016] In some embodiments, the platform further includes a stopping groove formed between two adjacent second stops of the plurality of second stops; and the second spring is a torsion spring which includes a second short arm formed at its first end and a torsion arm formed at its second end, wherein the second short arm is positioned in the stopping groove and the torsion arm is attached to the second protection gate when the torsion spring is mounted to the guide post.

[0017] In some embodiments, the cover further includes a third stop and a fourth stop, wherein the second protection gate is at least partially arranged between the third stop and the fourth stop to prevent the second protection gate from rotating about the guide post when only the second protection gate is moved.

[0018] In some embodiments, the second protection gate is further provided with trapping Grooves adjacent to the protrusions for the LN poles, the trapping grooves being configured to prevent objects from entering the base by bypassing the second protection gate.

[0019] In some embodiments, the trapping grooves are in the form of an inclined surface [0020] Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent through the following description of example embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0021] It should be appreciated that the contents described in this Summary are not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, or limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will be understood

more easily through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Through the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the above and other objectives, features, and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be more easily understood. In the drawings, a plurality of embodiments of the present disclosure are explained in an exemplary and non-restrictive manner, wherein: [0023] Fig. I schematically illustrates an exploded view of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure; [0024] Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a stereogram of a portion of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure; [0025] Fig. 3A schematically illustrates a stereogram of a portion of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure; [0026] Fig. 3B is an enlarged schematic diagram of a circled portion A in Fig. 3A; [0027] Fig. 4A schematically illustrates a stereogram of a portion of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure; [0028] Fig. 4B is an enlarged schematic diagram of a circled portion B in Fig. 4A; [0029] Figs. 5 to 7 schematically illustrate a portion of the protection gate assembly of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure; [0030] Figs. 8 to 10 schematically illustrate a portion of the protection gate assembly of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure; [0031] Figs. 11 to 12 schematically illustrate a stereogram of a portion of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure; [0032] Fig. 13 schematically illustrates a portion of the protection gate assembly of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure, where a spring is mounted on the portion as demonstrated; [0033] Fig. 14 schematically illustrates an exploded view of a portion of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure; [0034] Fig. 15 schematically illustrates a portion of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure; [0035] Fig. 16 schematically illustrates a portion of the socket in accordance with example

embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0036] Fig. 17 schematically illustrates a sectional view of a portion of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure; [0037] Fig. 18 schematically illustrates an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure; 100381 Fig. 19A schematically illustrates a sectional view of the socket in accordance with

example embodiments of the present disclosure;

100391 Fig. 19B is an enlarged schematic diagram of a circled portion A in Fig. 19A; 100401 Figs. 20 and 21 schematically illustrate a movement procedure of the protection gate assembly of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure; 100411 Fig. 22A illustrates a sectional view of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the procedure of the protection gate assembly being moved by the plug is demonstrated; 100421 Fig. 22B is an enlarged schematic diagram of a circled portion B in Fig. 22A; [0043] Fig. 23 illustrates a schematic enlarged sectional view of a portion of the socket in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0044] Concepts of the present disclosure are now explained with reference to various example embodiments shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated that description of those embodiments is merely to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and further implement the present disclosure and is not intended for limiting the scope disclosed herein in any manner. It should be noted similar or same reference signs can be used in the drawings where feasible, and similar or same reference signs can represent similar or same elements. Those skilled in the art will understand from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structure and/or methods described herein can be adopted without deviating from the principles and concepts of the present invention described herein.

[0045] In the context of the present disclosure, the term "includes" and its variants are to be read as open-ended terms that mean "includes, but is not limited to." The term "based on" is to be read as "based at least in part on." The term "some examples" is to be read as "at least some embodiments." The term "a further embodiment" is to be read as "at least a further embodiment." Other terms that may appear but not mentioned here shall not be interpreted or defined in a way contradicting with the concepts as the basis of the embodiments of the present disclosure unless clearly indicated otherwise.

100461 As described above, there is a need for a socket with improved reliability and appearance. At present, there is a socket with a protection gate structure, wherein the protection gate is disposed in holes of the socket. The protection gate closes the holes when the socket is not in use to avoid touch among other risks as mentioned above. A plug, when being inserted into the hole, pushes an inclined surface of the protection gate facing the plug and the inclined surface converts an act of inserting the plug perpendicular to a socket panel into a movement of the protection gate in parallel to the direction of the socket panel. Accordingly, this will cause the protection gate to move towards a lateral side of the holes to open the holes and the plug thus can be inserted deep into the holes.

[0047] However, such a socket still has its own drawbacks. As an entire top surface one one side of the protection gate facing the plug is usually inclined, three inward dents are formed at the holes when observed from the outside. In addition, dust tends to accumulate in the dents (for example, a lot of dust falls in the dents during renovation) and it is very difficult to completely remove the dust. Accordingly, the overall appearance of the socket lacks an aesthetic feeling. A more serious issue is that some users (e.g., young children in particular) may touch the inside of the socket via the dents with hands or tiny objects (such as iron wires) and expose themselves to the risks of electrical shocks.

[0048] In general, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an improved protection gate assembly. An effective solution for the above problems caused by the dents is proposed by configuring a top surface of the protection gate assembly in the socket coplanar with an outer surface of the socket. The protection gate assembly in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure has improved reliability.

[0049] Implementations of elements of the socket in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure are described below mainly with reference to Figs. 1 to 19B 100501 Fig. 1 illustrates a cover 1 of the socket 100 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, "cover" may be considered as the outermost surface of the socket 10. In such case, no other components cover the top of the cover 1.

In some further embodiments, the "cover" also may be additionally covered by a further component, e.g., the panel 8 shown in Fig. 19.

100511 When the panel 8 is used as the outermost component of the socket 100 and covers above the cover 1, a through hole 81 is formed in the panel 8 as shown in Figs. 10 and 13. At this point, the pins of a plug sequentially go through the through hole 81 of the panel 8 and the holes of the cover 1 (including a hole 17 for a grounding pole and holes 18 for LN poles) into a base 7.

100521 In the context of this application, when it is mentioned that "the top surface or outer surface of the protection gate is coplanar with the top surface or outer surface of the socket", the feature "the outer surface of the socket" refers to an outer surface of an outermost component of the socket.

100531 For example, in the case where the cover 1 is covered with the panel 8, "the top surface or outer surface of the protection gate is coplanar with the top surface or outer surface of the socket" means that the top surface or outer surface of the protection gate is coplanar with the top surface or outer surface of the panel 8.

100541 Besides, it should be understood that the term "coplanar" may include two situations, i.e., "completely coplanar" and "basically coplanar," wherein "basically coplanar" means that a small drop within a predetermined range may be allowed between two surfaces.

100551 Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an exploded view of the socket 100 and demonstrates various composites that may be included in the socket in a non-restrictive manner. The protection gates 3 and 4 in the drawings may be generally referred to as "protection gate assembly", and a first spring 2 and a second spring 5 may be generally known as "spring assembly" In the context of this application, "assembly" may indicate an association between at least two components, e.g., an association related to assembling, and an association related to movements etc. 100561 In accordance with technical concepts of the present disclosure, the protection gate 3 and the protection gate 4 of the protection gate assembly are moved towards the base 7 sequentially. For a three-pole plug, its grounding pin is relatively long. Accordingly, when the plug is inserted into the socket, the grounding pin is the first to be inserted into the socket.

Therefore, the protection gate 3 is moved by the grounding pin 92 of the plug firstly and the protection gate 4 is subsequently moved by the protection gate 3.

[0057] In addition, the spring assembly in general is adapted to keep the protection gate assembly at an initial position or return it to the initial position. For example, when users pull the plug 9 out from the socket 100, the pins 91 and 92 of the plug 9 exit from the socket via the holes and protrusions 31, 41 of the protection gate assembly are no longer abutted against the pins as a result. The protection gate assembly, when being released from an external force applied thereon, can return to the initial position under a force applied by the first spring 2 and the second spring 5.

[0058] In the context of this application, "initial position" may refer to a position at which no plugs or objects are in contact with the protection gate assembly to move or abut against the protection gate assembly. Alternatively, "initial position" may represent a position at which an outer surface of the protrusion (protrusion 31 for the grounding pole, protrusion 41 for the LN poles) of the protection gate assembly is coplanar with the outer surface of the socket 100.

[0059] For example, it may be considered that the protection gate assembly as shown in Figs. 17, 18, 19A and 19B is at the "initial position" and the plug 9 is not inserted into the socket 100 yet at this point.

[0060] As shown in Fig. 1, the holes are formed in the top surface (or outer surface) of the cover 1, where the holes for example are holes for two poles, holes for three poles (including the hole 17 for the grounding pole and the holes 18 for the LN poles) or a hole 19 of a USB etc. The holes 21 for three poles provide entrance for the three pins (including LN pole pins 91 and a grounding pin 92) of the plug 9 (see Figs. 17, 18, 22A and 22B) to be inserted into the socket 100.

[0061] Fig. 2 illustrates an inner surface 19 of the cover 1. When the cover 1 is mounted to the base 7, the inner surface 19 faces the base 7 and covers a cavity 72 of the base 7. In addition, the protection gate 3 is mounted to the inner surface 19 of the cover 1 and the inner surface 19 may be referred to as "attaching side" of the cover 1 accordingly.

[0062] Various structures or components, including for example a stop for blocking and a spring attachment for positioning etc, may be formed on the attaching side 19 of the cover 1.

Detailed description will be provided with reference to Figs. 2 to 4B.

[0063] A sliding frame 11 may be formed on the attaching side 19 of the cover 1 as shown in the drawings. For example, the sliding frame 11 may be formed integrally on the attaching side 19. A sliding groove 111 is formed between the sliding frame 11 and the attaching side 19. When the protection gate 3 is mounted to the attaching side 19, two protruding shafts 32 of the protection gate are movably mounted in the sliding groove 111. In this way, when the protection gate 3 is moved towards the base 7, the protection gate 3 will move, by means of the protruding shafts 32, along the sliding groove 111 with respect to the cover 1.

[0064] In some embodiments, a stop 13 may be formed on the attaching side 19 of the cover 1 as shown in Fig. 13 and the main functionality of the stop 13 is to mate with a stop recess 38 of the protection gate 3. Details will be explained below with reference to the protection gate 3.

[0065] In some embodiments, stops 15 and 16 may also be formed on the attaching side 19 of the cover 1 (see Figs. 2 and 4B). Under an assembly state, the protection gate 4 is at least partially arranged between the two stops. When the protection gate 3 is not moved and only the protection gate 4 is moved, the stops 15 and 16 jointly prevent the protection gate 4 from rotating.

[0066] A fixed structure, such as a pair of fixed wings 12 as shown in Fig. 3B, may also be formed on the attaching side 19 of the cover 1 so as to position the first spring 2 in place. The fixed wings 12 may for example protrude towards the base 7 perpendicular to the attaching side 19. Under the assembly state, the first spring 12 may be disposed between the protection gate 3 and the fixed wings 12 in a direction RI in parallel to the attaching side 19.

One end of the first spring 12 is positioned between the fixed wings 12 and the other end of the first spring 12 is positioned between a pair of protrusions 37 (see Fig. 6) of the protection gate 3.

[0067] In some embodiments, the first spring 2 may be a coil spring. The coil spring includes a short arm 21 configured to extend outwards from one end of the first spring 2 adjacent to the protection gate 3 along an extension direction of the coil spring. The first arm 21 may be embedded in a mounting hole 36 of the protection gate 3 and may pass through the mounting hole 36 to be pressed in a recess 35 of the protection gate 3.

[0068] This arrangement of the short arm 21 can keep the top surface or outer surface of the protrusion 31 for the grounding pole coplanar with the top surface of the hole 17 for the grounding pole when the protection gate 3 is at the initial position. In other words, the protection gate 3, when at the initial position (i e, not moved), is kept in parallel with the cover I. [0069] Figs. 5 to 7 illustrate the protection gate 3 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure in different perspectives. As mentioned above, the protection gate 3 will be moved first and thus may be referred to as protection gate for the grounding pole. Likewise, the protrusion of the protection gate 3 may also referred to as a protrusion for the grounding pole.

[0070] At the initial position, the protrusion 31 for the grounding pole is coplanar with the hole 17 for the grounding pole of the holes of the socket 100. For example, the protrusion 31 for the grounding pole is positioned within the hole 17 for the grounding pole when viewed from the hole 17 for the grounding pole towards the base 7. As described above, when the cover 1 acts as the outer surface of the socket 100, the top surface or the outer surface of the protrusion 31 for the grounding pole is coplanar with the outer surface (or outer periphery) of the hole 17 for the grounding pole.

[0071] In some embodiments, the protection gate 3 may also include an acting surface formed on a rod 39, such as acting surfaces 391 and 392 as shown in the drawings. In the case where only the protection gate 4 is moved, the acting surface 391 will abut against an inner surface of a recess 48 of the protection gate 4, i.e., vertical inner surface 482, and the acting surface 392 will abut against the stop 15 to prevent the protection gate 4 from rotating along a first direction in a non-controlled manner.

[0072] As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the protection gate 3 also may include the stop recess 38, which may mate with the stop 13 formed on the attaching side 19 of the cover 1 as described above. When the protection gate 3 is mounted to the attaching side 19, the stop 13 is positioned within a space of the stop recess 38 and thus becomes invisible. For example, with reference to Fig. 19B, it is clearly seen that the stop 13 is positioned within the stop recess 38.

[0073] Figs. 8 to 10 illustrate the protection gate 4 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure from different perspectives. As mentioned above, only when the protection gate 3 is moved by the grounding pin 92, the protection gate 4 will be moved in response to the movement of the protection gate 3. Accordingly, the protection gate 4 may also be referred to as the protection gate for the LN poles and the protrusions of the protection gate 4 may also be referred to as protrusions for LN poles. As generally understood in the art, "L" and "N" respectively indicate live wire and null wire.

[0074] At the initial position, the protrusions 41 for the LN poles are coplanar with the holes 18 for the LN poles of the holes of the socket 100 according to Fig. 8.

[0075] For example, when viewed from the holes 18 for the LN poles to the base 7, the protrusions 41 for the LN poles are positioned within the holes 18 for the LN poles. As described above, when the cover 1 acts as the outer surface of the socket 100, the top surface or the outer surface of the protrusions 41 for the LN poles is coplanar with the outer surface (or outer periphery) of the holes 18 for the LN poles.

[0076] A through hole 42 is formed in the protection gate 4 mainly to implement the assembly of the protection gate 4, which will be explained below with reference to the description of a platform 6.

[0077] The protection gate 4 also includes a recess 48 for receiving the rod 39 of the protection gate 3. In the assembled state, i.e., the cover 1 provided with the protection gate 3 is attached to the base 7 to at least partially cover the cavity 72 of the base 7, a portion of the rod 39 of the protection gate 3 adjacent to the protection gate 4 is positioned in the recess 48.

[0078] According to Fig. 9, the recess 48 may include a plurality of surfaces, such as a plane 481 formed in a direction R1 in parallel to or substantially in parallel to the attaching side 19, and a vertical inner surface 482 formed perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the plane 481.

[0079] In some embodiments, the plane 481 and the vertical inner surface 482 may be known as the "acting surfaces." When the protection gate assembly is being moved, the acting surfaces will make contact with corresponding surfaces of the rod 39 of the protection gate 3 and further cause the movement of the protection gate 4 under the effect of the protection gate 3 as described above. This aspect will be further elaborated in the following text.

[0080] In addition, the protection gate 4 may also include trapping grooves 46 as shown in Fig. 9. In general, the trapping grooves 46 are disposed adjacent to the corresponding protrusion 41 for the LN pole. The trapping grooves mainly guards people against electrical shock caused by undesired objects (e.g., thin iron wire) bypassing the protection gate 4 and further entering the base 7.

[0081] In some embodiments, the trapping grooves 46 may be in the form of an inclined surface. In some further embodiments, the trapping grooves 46 may be in the form of a recess. Other suitable configurations are also feasible as long as the trapping grooves can fulfill the functionality of intercepting unexpected objects (often being thin objects).

[0082] With reference to Fig. 10, the protection gate 4 also may include a stop protrusion 47, which for example may be formed on a side of the protection gate 4 facing away from the cover 1 (i e, facing the platform 6). The primary role of the stop protrusion 47 is to assist in positioning the second spring 5 in place, which will be explained below with reference to the description of the platform 6.

[0083] In some embodiments, the protection gate 4 also may include a hook-shaped structure 44 as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. The structure 44 mainly avoids incorrect placement of the protection gate 4 for the LN poles, for example, avoiding the protection gate 4 for the LN poles being ejected out towards the cover 1 by the second spring 5 in a compressed state. This will be further explained in the following text with reference to the description of the platform 6.

[0084] Moreover, with reference to Figs. 9 and 10, the protection gate 4 also may include a stop side 49, which for example may be a left edge of an outer profile of the protection gate 4 under the assembly state as shown in Fig. 15. The stop side 49 plays a role of mating with the stop 16 of the cover 1 to prevent the protection gate 4 from rotating improperly. For example, in the case where only the protection gate 4 is moved, the stop side 49 will abut against the stop 16 to prevent the protection gate 4 from rotating along a second direction opposite to the first direction in a non-controlled manner.

[0085] By far, it may be understood that the stops 15 and 16, the acting surfaces 391 and 392 of the rod 39 of the protection gate 3 and the stop side 49 of the protection gate 4 can jointly ensure the improper rotation of the protection gate 4. "Improper rotation" here may refer to that the protection gate 4 is moved unexpectedly, causing the protrusion 41 for grounding pole to disengage from the hole 18 for the grounding pole.

[0086] In some embodiments, the protection gate 4 may be allowed to rotate to a limited angle before reaching a degree at which the rotation is prevented. In this case, the aforementioned arrangement of the trapping grooves 46 is beneficial.

[0087] For example, when the protection gate 4 rotates to a limited small angle, it is possible that a slit 461 (see Fig. 23) may be formed between the protrusions 41 and the holes 18. At this time, an object (e.g., thin iron wire) may be inserted into the holes 18 via the slit 461. The above situation should be avoided for safety purposes.

[0088] Figs. 11 to 15 mainly illustrate platform 6 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The protection gate 4 is assembled to the platform 6 and can move relative to the platform 6.

[0089] With reference to Fig. 11, the platform 6 includes a guide post 61 protruding from the platform 6 towards the cover 1 along a direction R2 which is perpendicular to the attaching side 19 (i e, perpendicular to the direction R1) In the assembled state, the protection gate 4 may be mounted to the guide post 61 via its through hole 42 and may rotate relative to the guide post 61. The guide post 61 may also be formed with a through hole or a blind hole 62 to facilitate the positioning of the cover 1. For example, a positioning post 191 may be formed on the attaching side 19 of the cover 1 as shown in Fig. 18.

[0090] The platform 6 may also include a plurality of stops 68 formed around the guide post 61. For example, five stops 68 are shown in the drawings. The plurality of stops 68 are configured to prevent the protection gate 4 from moving towards the base 7 along the direction R2 under the action of the abnormal driving. The shape of the stop 68 is not limited, while the key point of the stop 68 is to have a predetermined height. In addition, the locations of the plurality of stops 68 are not limited as long as they mate with the structure of the protection gate 4.

[0091] In the case where the protection gate 3 is not moved by the plug 9 and only the protection gate 4 is unexpectedly moved, the protection gate 4 at most moves a limited small distance towards the inside of the base 7 along the direction R2. Afterwards, the stop 68 will abut against the side of the protection gate 4 facing the platform 6 (i.e., the side on which the hook-shaped structure 44 is formed) to prevent the protection gate 4 from continuing shifting towards the base 7. Therefore, this will ensure that the protrusions 41 for the LN poles will not disengage from the holes 18 for the LN poles, which effectively lowers the risk of electrical shock for the users.

[0092] A hole 65 formed on the platform 6 is provided at a position corresponding to the hook-shaped structure 44 of the protection gate 4. In the assembled state, the hook-shaped structure 44 passes through the hole 65 and catches the stop 68 under an elastic force of the second spring 5. Accordingly, the protection gate 4 is bounded at an expected level and will not be forced to "bounce out" towards the cover 1 by the second spring 5. For example, the way of assembling of the hook-shaped structure 44 and the hole 65 in the assembled state can be understood more clearly with reference to an enlarged section shown in Fig. 18.

[0093] In some embodiments, there are two structures 44 whereby two holes 65 are provided. In such embodiments, one hole 65 may be formed in a protruding wall 65 I as shown in Fig. 14 while the other hole 65 may be formed in a base 66 of the platform 6.

[0094] With reference to Figs. 12 and 14, a stop groove 67 is formed between two adjacent stops 68 to mainly assist in holding the second spring 5 in place.

[0095] In the embodiments as shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the second spring 5, for example, is a torsion spring, which may include a second short arm 51 formed on a first end thereof and a torsion arm 52 formed on a second end thereof When the torsion spring is mounted to the guide post 61, the second short arm 51 will be positioned in the stop groove 67 while the torsion arm 52 will be attached to the protection gate 4 and thereby will abut against the stop protrusion 47 of the protection gate 4 (Figs. 10 and 13).

100961 As shown in Fig. 12, the platform 6 may also include a sliding rail 63 and a support structure 64, wherein the main functionality of the sliding rail 63 is to mate with a sliding surface 33 of the protection gate 3. The sliding surface 33 is formed adjacent to the first end of the rod of the protection gate 3 as shown in Fig. 7. The mating between the sliding rail 63 and the support structure 64 will be described below with reference to Figs. 17 to 23.

[0097] The main functionality of the support structure 64 is to support the first spring 2.

For example, when the cover 1 is assembled to the base 7, the first spring 2 will be supported by the support structure 64 and be positioned correctly as shown in Figs. 19A and 19B. As the first spring 2 is supported towards the attaching side 19 by the support structure 64, the first short arm 21 of the first spring 2 may press against the recess 35 of the protection gate 3 (as described above). Therefore, the top surface of the protrusion 31 of the protection gate 3 can keep flush with or coplanar with the outer surface of the cover 1 and/or the panel 8.

[0098] Fig. 16 illustrates the base 7 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The base 7 is provided with the cavity 72, in which a contact 71 (see Fig. 17) may be disposed. Besides, the contact 71 is usually made of metals. When the pins 91 and 92 of the plug 9 are inserted into the contact 71, the plug 9 is electrically connected, via the socket 100, to the mains supply. The contents in this regard are known to those skilled in the art and thus will not be elaborated here.

[0099] In Fig. 16, the protection gate 4 has been mounted to the platform 6 and they together are mounted within the cavity 72 of the base 7. When the cover 1 is assembled to the base 7, the rod 39 of the protection gate 3 on the attaching side of the cover 1 may be positioned in the recess 48 of the protection gate 4 as described above.

1001001 In general, when the socket 100 is in the assembled state, the outer surfaces of the protrusions 31 and 41 of the protection gate assembly are coplanar with (i.e., flush with or substantially flush with) the outer surface of the socket 100 (e.g., the outer surface of the panel 8 or the outer surface of the cover 1). In this way, dents will not be formed in the outer surface of the socket 100 as mentioned above and the problems caused by the dents are thus eliminated.

1001011 Alternatively, a drop may exist between the outer surfaces of the protrusions 31 and 41 and the outer surface of the socket 100. The drop here refers to a height difference between the outer surfaces of the protrusions 31 and 41 and the outer surface of the socket 100 when the protection gate assembly is at the initial position. For example, the height difference may be in the range from 1.5mm to 2mm, such as 1.8mm. The drop also allows users to find the positions of the holes 17 and 18 (especially the hole 17 for the grounding pole) of the socket 100 easily and further assists the users to insert the plug 9 into the holes of the socket.

[00102] Although the positions of the various components of the socket 100 and the attainable configurations thereof have been described with reference to the drawings, the detailed description is provided merely for the purpose of explanation, rather than limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Any implementations on the basis of the above general inventive concept of the present disclosure are included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[00103] An exemplary procedure of the movement of the protection gate assembly will be described below with reference to Figs. 20 to 23.

[00104] To clearly and concisely explain the associations between the movements of relevant parts of the protection gate assembly, the description will be provided first with reference to Figs. 20 and 21, both of which only schematically illustrate the plug 9, the protection gate 3 for the grounding pole and the protection gate for the LN poles of the protection gate assembly and the rest components of the socket 100 are omitted.

[00105] As mentioned above, the grounding pin 92 of the plug 9 is relatively long. Accordingly, when the plug 9 is inserted into the holes of the socket 100, the grounding pin 92 first contacts the protrusion 31 for the grounding pole of the protection gate 3 via the hole 17 for the grounding pole. Then, the protection gate 3 for the grounding pole is moved by the grounding pin 92 to rotate. At this point, the rod 39 of the protection gate 3 for the grounding pole is pressed against the plane 481 (see Fig. 9) of the recess 48 of the protection gate 4 for the LN poles. Therefore, the protection gate 4 for the LN poles moves downward, i.e., moves towards the base 7, under the force applied by the rod 39.

[00106] After rotating to a predetermined angle, the protection gate 3 for the grounding pole is further moved by the grounding pin 92 to translate and slide. Subsequently, the rod 39 of the protection gate 3 for the grounding pole is pressed against the vertical inner surface 482 (see Fig. 9) of the recess 48 of the protection gate 4 for the LN poles such that the protection gate 4 for the LN poles rotates about the guide post 61 of the platform 6. In the end, the protection gate assembly may move as a whole such that the hole 17 for the grounding pole and the holes 18 for the LN poles of the socket 100 are consequently no longer blocked by the protection gate assembly. As such, the plug 9 can be inserted into the base 7 to form an electrical connection with the metal contact 71.

[00107] The overall procedure of the movement of the protection gate assembly has been briefly described above with reference to Figs. 20 and 21 and the procedure of the movement of the protection gate assembly will be explained in more detail below with reference to Figs. 22A to 23.

[00108] When the three-pole plug 9 is inserted into the holes of the socket 100, the grounding pin 92 first contacts the protrusion 31 for the grounding pole of the protection gate 3. At the same time, the stop 13 formed on the attaching side 19 of the cover 1 is abutted against a stop surface 381 (see Fig. 6) of the stop recess 38 of the protection gate 3 to prevent the protection gate 3 from moving along the direction RI.

[00109] At this stage, the protection gate 3 for the grounding pole can rotate about a protruding shaft 32 only and the protrusion 31 for the grounding pole gradually disengages from the hole 17 for the grounding pole. During the rotation of the protection gate 3 for the grounding pole, the rod 39 is first pressed against the plane 481 of the recess 48 of the protection gate 4 to move the protection gate 4 for the LN poles towards the base 7 along the direction R2 until the protrusions 41 for the LN poles disengage from the holes 18 for the LN poles of the cover 1 [00110] As the grounding pin 92 is inserted deeper, the protection gate 3 for the grounding pole continues to rotate about the protruding shaft 32 until the sliding surface 33 of the protection gate 3 makes contact with the sliding rail 63 of the platform 6. Meanwhile, the stop recess 38 of the protection gate 3 disengages from the stop 13 of the cover 1.

1001111 When the plug 9 continues to move toward the socket 100, the grounding pin 92 of the plug 9 will force the protection gate 3 to translate transversely (along direction R1) because the protruding shaft 32 will slide in the sliding groove 111 of the sliding frame 11 of the cover 1. As a result, the first spring 2 is compressed and its short arm 21 bends correspondingly.

[00112] At this time, since the rod 39 of the protection gate 3 for the grounding pole is constantly pressing the protection gate 4 for the LN poles downward, the protrusions 41 for the LN poles can disengage from the holes 18 for the LN poles of the cover 1 As the protection gate 3 continues to move transversely, the rod 39 of the protection gate 3 for the grounding pole will abut against the vertical inner surface 482 of the recess 48 of the protection gate 4 for the LN poles, so as to force the protection gate 4 for the LN poles to rotate about the guide post 61 of the platform 6 by means of the through hole 42. Hence, the holes 18 for the LN poles of the cover 1 are opened and thereby the LN pins 91 of the plug 9 can be inserted into the base 7.

[00113] At this point, the second spring 5 disposed between the protection gate 4 for the LN poles and the platform 6 is further compressed and twisted and accordingly stays in a compressed state. When the plug 9 is pulled out, the compressed first spring 2 can return the protection gate 3 for the grounding pole to the initial position. Meanwhile, with the aid of the first short arm 21 of the first spring 2, the outer surface of the protrusion 31 for the grounding pole of the protection gate 3 can be kept parallel to the panel 8 as shown in the drawings.

[00114] The second spring 5 of the compressed state can move the protection gate 4 for the LN poles to rotate in reverse and move towards the cover 1 along the direction Rl. In the end, the protrusions 41 for the LN poles of the protection gate 4 re-enters the holes 18 for the LN poles of the cover 1 and the outer surfaces of the protrusions 41 are again parallel with the panel 8.

[00115] The situation where the protection gate assembly is moved normally has been described above. However, it is also possible that the users, especially young children, may accidentally push the socket protection gate. Although this situation should be avoided, it is also explained below with reference to Fig. 23.

[00116] When foreign metal objects (e.g., thin iron wire and the like) are accidentally inserted into the holes for the LN poles, the protection gate 4 for the LN poles may be pushed by the foreign metal objects towards the base 7 and thereby are rotated. However, the stop 16 formed on the attaching side 19 of the cover 1 will abut against the stop side 49 of the protection gate 4 for the LN poles accordingly. Because of the blocking of the stop 16, the protection gate 4 for the LN poles at most rotates about the guide post 61 of the platform 6 by a small angle which is within the safety range.

[00117] Meanwhile, the vertical inner surface 482 of the recess 48 of the protection gate 4 for the LN poles will contact the acting surface 392 of the rod 39 of the protection gate 3 for the grounding pole while the rod 39 of the protection gate 3 will also make contact with the stop of the attaching side 19 of the cover 1. As a result, the uncontrolled rotation of the protection gate 4 for the LN poles in the other direction will be likewise prohibited.

[00118] The protection gate 4 for the LN poles may be allowed to move a predetermined distance towards the base. Subsequently, the stop 68 of the platform 6 will support the surface of the protection gate 4 facing the platform 6 to prevent a further movement of the protection gate 4 towards the base 7.

1001191 The above design can successfully prevent the foreign metal objects from contacting live parts within the socket 100. The distance by which the protection gate 4 for the LN poles can move towards the base 7 is restricted by the optimized design, which ensures that the gap between the outer surface of the protrusions 41 for the LN poles and the inner surface of the cover 1 facing the base 7 is relatively small. The insertion of the tiny objects into the socket may effectively be prevented.

[00120] It should be understood that the present disclosure does not specifically describe technical features of the socket in the prior art. In addition, such features are well known to those skilled in the art and will not prevent those skilled in the art from understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[00121] The shapes and positions of the elements mentioned in any of the above embodiments or depicted in any of the drawings are exemplary in principle and are explained or specified merely for the purpose of description. However, it should be appreciated that any alternative elements that can implement mechanisms and functions of the embodiments of the present disclosure in terms of technical principles, including currently known or to be developed ones, are covered by the protection scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should understand that the above embodiments may be modified without deviating from the scope and the essence of the present disclosure. Moreover, the scope of the present disclosure is subject to the attached claims.

Claims

I/We Claim: 1. A socket comprising: a base (7) including a cavity (72) for receiving a metal contact (71); a platform (6) arranged in the cavity (72) of the base (7); a cover (1) mounted on the base (7) to at least partially dose the cavity (72) and including holes into which pins of a plug (9) are inserted, wherein the holes include holes (18) for LN poles into which LN pole pins (91) of the pins are inserted and a hole (17) for a grounding pole into which a grounding pin (92) of the pins is inserted; a protection gate assembly adapted to close the holes at an initial position and 10 including: a first protection gate (3) attached to an attaching side (19) of the cover (1) facing the cavity (72), the first protection gate (3) including a protrusion (31) for a grounding pole aligned with the hole (17) for the grounding pole and a rod (39) connected to the protrusion (31) for the grounding pole; and a second protection gate (4) mounted on the platform (6), the second protection gate (4) including protrusions (41) for the LN poles aligned with the holes (18) for the LN poles and a recess (48) for receiving the rod (39); wherein the protection gate assembly is arranged to, in response to the grounding pin (92) being inserted into the hole (17) for the grounding pole to move the protrusion (31) for the grounding pole towards the base (7), displace the first protection gate (3) to move the second protection gate (4) relative to the platform (6), thereby allowing the plug to pass through the holes to form an electrical connection with the metal contact (71).
2. The socket of claim 1, characterized in that, the protection gate assembly is arranged such that an outer surface of the protrusion (31) for the grounding pole and an outer surface of the protrusions (41) for the LN poles both are coplanar with an outer surface of the cover (1) facing away from the cavity (72) when the protection gate assembly is at the initial position.
3. The socket of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the socket further comprises a spring assembly adapted to keep the protection gate assembly at the initial position or return the protection gate assembly to the initial position, wherein the spring assembly includes: a first spring (2) arranged between the first protection gate (3) and fixed wings (12) along a first direction (R1) in parallel to the attaching side (19), the fixed wings (12) being perpendicularly disposed on the attaching side (19); and a second spring (5) arranged between the second protection gate (4) and the platform (6) along a second direction (R2) perpendicular to the attaching side (19).
4. The socket of claim 3, characterized in that, the first spring (2) is a coil spring including a first short arm which is configured to extend outwards from one end of the first spring (2) adjacent to the first protection gate (3) along an extension direction of the coil spring and embedded in a mounting hole (36) formed in the first protection gate (3), so as to keep the first protection gate (3) in parallel to the cover (1) when the first protection gate (3) is not moved and is at the initial position.
5. The socket of claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, the cover (1) further comprises a sliding frame (11) arranged on the attaching side (19) to form a sliding groove (111) between the sliding frame (11) and the attaching side (19); and the first protection gate (3) further comprises a protruding shaft (32) movably mounted in the sliding groove (111), such that the first protection gate (3), when being moved towards the base (7), can move relative to the cover (1).
6. The socket of claim 5, characterized in that, the first protection gate (3) further includes a stop recess (38) disposed at one side of the protrusion (31) for the grounding pole, and the cover (1) further comprises a first stop (13) formed on the attaching side (19); wherein the stop recess (38) is configured to be blocked by the first stop (13) to prevent the first protection gate (3) from translating along a first direction (R1) in parallel to the attaching side (19), and the stop recess (38) can disengage from the blocking of the first stop (13) as the first protection gate (3) is moved towards the base (7) to rotate about the protruding shaft (32).
7. The socket of claim 6, characterized in that, the first protection gate (3) further includes a sliding surface (33) formed adjacent to a first end of the rod (39) of the first protection gate (3); the platform (6) further includes a sliding rail (63) formed on one side of the platform facing the cover (1), wherein the sliding surface (33) is configured to contact the sliding rail (63) when the stop recess (38) disengages from the blocking of the first stop (13); and wherein the first protection gate (3), when being further moved towards the base (7), can slide along the first direction (R1), such that the rod (39) of the first protection gate (3) presses the second protection gate (4) towards the base (7) along a second direction (R2) perpendicular to the attaching side (19), to disengage the protrusions (41) for the LN poles from the holes (18) for the LN poles.
8. The socket of claim 7, characterized in that, the second protection gate (4) further includes a through hole (42); the platform (6) further includes a guide post (61) which protrudes from the platform (6) towards the cover (1) along the second direction (R2) and is movably mounted in the through hole (42) of the second protection gate (4); wherein, as the first protection gate (3) continues to slide along the first direction (R1), the second protection gate (4) is adapted to rotate about the guide post (61) until the protrusions (41) for the LN poles are completely disengaged from the holes (18) for the LN poles, such that the plug (9) can be inserted into the base (7) to be electrically connected to the metal contact (71).
9. The socket of claim 8, characterized in that, the platform (6) further includes a plurality of second stops (68) formed around the guide post (61), wherein the plurality of second stops is configured to, when the first protection gate (3) is not moved but the second protection gate (4) is moved, prevent the protrusions (41) for the LN poles from disengaging from the holes (18) for the LN poles by abutting against a surface of the second protection gate (4) facing the platform (6).
10. The socket of claim 9, characterized in that, the platform (6) further includes a stopping groove (67) formed between two adjacent second stops (68) of the plurality of second stops (68); and the second spring (5) is a torsion spring which includes a second short arm formed at its first end and a torsion arm (52) formed at its second end, wherein the second short arm is positioned in the stopping groove (67) and the torsion arm (52) is attached to the second protection gate (4) when the torsion spring is mounted to the guide post (61).
11. The socket of any one of claims 8-10, characterized in that, the cover (1) further includes a third stop (16) and a fourth stop (15), wherein the second protection gate (4) is at least partially arranged between the third stop (16) and the fourth stop (15) to prevent the second protection gate (4) from rotating about the guide post (61) when the first protection gate (3) is not moved but the second protection gate (4) is moved.
12. The socket of any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, the second protection gate (4) is further provided with trapping grooves (46) adjacent to the protrusions (41) for the LN poles, the trapping grooves (46) being configured to prevent objects from entering the base (7) by bypassing the second protection gate (4).
13. The socket of claim 12, characterized in that, the trapping grooves (46) are in the form of an inclined surface.