Indicators For Safe Disconnection Of Electrical Circuits

• US 20170010311A1
• Filed: 07/08/2015
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TE Connectivity Solutions GmbH (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics Corporation (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Yaworski, Harry G., Galla, Matthew P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,641,800 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/155 Indicating the presence of voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence

Abstract

Provided are devices for electrical connectors to provide indication that the electrical connectors are not energized. Devices include a first indicator that includes a first indication technology that is configured to provide a first visual indication corresponding to a voltage of a primary conductor and a second indicator that includes a second indication technology that is different from the first indication technology and that is configured to provide a second visual indication corresponding to the voltage of the primary conductor.

Claims

1. A device for an electrical connector, the device comprising:

a driving circuit that is parasitically coupled to a primary conductor in the electrical connector; and

an indicator that includes an indication technology and that is electrically coupled to the driving circuit, the indicator being configured to provide a visual indication corresponding to a voltage of the primary conductor.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises a first indicator, the indication technology comprises a first indication technology, and the visual indication comprises a first visual indication, and

wherein the device further comprises a second indicator that includes a second indication technology and that is electrically coupled to the driving circuit, second indicator being configured to provide a second visual indication corresponding to the voltage of the primary conductor.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the first indication technology is different from the second indication technology.

4. The device according to claim 3,

wherein the first indication technology comprises an illumination technology that is configured to selectively emit light responsive to the voltage of the primary conductor being at an operating voltage, and

wherein the second indication technology comprises an occlusion technology that is configured to selectively occlude a high visibility surface responsive to the voltage of the primary conductor being at the operating voltage.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the first indicator comprises a solid state light emitting device (LED), and wherein the second indicator comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a high visibility surface that is selectively visible through the LCD.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein, responsive to the primary conductor being operated at an operating voltage, the first indicator is configured to emit light at a wavelength corresponding to a red color and the second indicator is configured to occlude the surface that is operable to reflect light at a wavelength corresponding to a green color.

7. The device according to claim 4, wherein, responsive to the primary conductor being non-energized, electrical current received by the first indicator is substantially zero such that the first indicator does not emit light and the second indicator is configured to transmit reflected light from a surface that is operable to reflect light at a wavelength corresponding to a green color.

8. The device according to claim 4, wherein the first indicator is configured to visually indicate an energized state of the primary conductor and the second indicator is configured to visually indicate a non-energized state of the primary conductor.

9. The device according to claim 2, the device further comprising a user input component that is configured to receive an input from a user,

wherein in the absence of the input from the user, the first indicator provides the first visual indication corresponding to the voltage of the primary conductor, and

wherein responsive to receipt of the input from the user, the second indicator provides the second visual indication corresponding to the voltage of the primary conductor.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the first indicator comprises a first solid state light emitting device (LED) and the second indicator comprises a second solid state light emitting device (LED),

wherein the first indicator and the second indicator function in a complementary manner responsive to the input from the user, and

wherein one of the first indicator or the second indicator is illuminated responsive to the voltage of the primary conductor being at the operating voltage.

11. The device according to claim 10, further comprising a third indicator that includes a third indication technology and that is electrically coupled to the driving circuit, the third indicator being configured to provide a third visual indication corresponding to the voltage of the primary conductor,

wherein the third indication technology comprises an occlusion technology that is configured to selectively occlude a high visibility surface responsive to the voltage of the primary conductor being at the operating voltage.

12. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a housing that includes a sealing material that is configured to protectively seal components of the device from environmental elements.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is configured to be installed into an electrical connector.

14. The device according to claim 1 wherein the driving circuit is capacitively coupled to the primary conductor, and

wherein the indicator comprises a solid state light emitter that receives an electrical current from the driving circuit when the primary conductor is energized to an operating voltage and that is configured to emit light responsive to receiving the electrical current.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the driving circuit comprises a capacitive element that is a capacitive voltage divider between the primary conductor and a ground conductor.

16. The device according to claim 15, further comprising an inductive coupling device that provides a driving current corresponding to a current in the capacitive element.

17. The device according to claim 2, wherein the first indication technology is different from the second indication technology, and

wherein the second indication technology comprises an electrostatic actuated display that includes a plurality of pixel pigment elements that are configured to align in a same orientation in the absence of the primary conductor being at an operating voltage and to oscillate from being aligned in the same orientation responsive to the primary conductor being at the operating voltage.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the second indication technology comprises an electrophoretic display that includes the plurality of pixel pigment elements that are proximate an electrostatically charged electrode and a ground electrode that generate a static electric field that causes the plurality of pixel pigment elements to align in the same orientation.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein, responsive to the primary conductor being at the operating voltage, a changing electric field overcomes the static electric field and causes ones of the plurality of pixel pigment elements to oscillate from being aligned in the same orientation.

20. The device according to claim 2, wherein the first indication technology is different from the second indication technology, and

wherein the second indication technology comprises an electrostatic actuated display that includes an indication pixel that is configured to align in an orientation that visually presents a pixel pigment on the indication pixel in the absence of the primary conductor being at an operating voltage and to oscillate from being aligned in the orientation that visually presents the pixel pigment on the indication pixel responsive to the primary conductor being at the operating voltage.

21. A device for an electrical connector, comprising:

a first indicator that includes a first indication technology that is configured to provide a first visual indication corresponding to a voltage of a primary conductor; and

a second indicator that includes a second indication technology that is different from the first indication technology and that is configured to provide a second visual indication corresponding to the voltage of the primary conductor.

22. The device according to claim 21, wherein the first indication technology comprises an illumination technology that is configured to emit light responsive to the voltage of the primary conductor being at an operating voltage, and

wherein the second indication technology comprises an occlusion technology that is configured to occlude a high visibility surface responsive to the voltage of the primary conductor being at an operating voltage and to display the high visibility surface responsive to the primary conductor not being energized.

23. The device according to claim 22, wherein the first indicator comprises a solid state light emitting device (LED), and wherein the second indicator comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) and the high visibility surface that is visible through the LCD responsive to the primary conductor not being energized.

24. The device according to claim 21, further comprising a driving circuit that is parasitically coupled to the primary conductor and that provides driving current to the first indicator and the second indicator.

25. An electrical connector, comprising:

a connector housing that is configured to receive an electrical cable that includes at least one electrical conductor;

at least one termination conductor that is configured to be electrically conductively coupled to the at least one electrical conductor in the electrical cable and to be conductively engaged with another termination contact in another electrical connector;

an indicator device that is mounted to the connector housing and that comprises;

a driving circuit that is parasitically coupled to the at least one electrical conductor; and

an indicator that is electrically coupled to the driving circuit, the indicator being configured to provide a visual indication corresponding to a voltage of the at least one electrical conductor.

26. The electrical connector according to claim 25, wherein the electrical cable comprises a terminated cable.

27. The electrical connector according to claim 25,

wherein the indicator comprises a first indicator that includes a first indication technology, and

wherein the visual indication comprises a first visual indication,

wherein the indicator device further comprises a second indicator that includes a second indication technology and that is electrically coupled to the driving circuit, second indicator being configured to provide a second visual indication corresponding to the voltage of the at least one electrical conductor.