Apparatus for providing AC power to airborne in-seat power systems

• US 20020161484A1
• Filed: 05/22/2001
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems Corporation (Astronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Dynamics OTS Incorporated (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Inventors: Hambley, Darrell T., Briski, Rory G.
• Granted Patent: US 6,599,141 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4532 Rotating shutter
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/4538 Covers sliding or withdrawing in the direction of engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6658 on printed circuit board H01R13/6666 - H01R13/6691 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/7032 making use of a separate bridging element directly cooperating with the terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 5/4505 having a rectifier with controlled elements

Abstract

An outlet unit for providing a supply voltage to the prongs of a plug comprising a housing having a plurality of electrically conductive plug channels for receiving the prongs of the plug, a shutter rotatably mounted to the housing and operative in one of a first and a second position, the shutter having openings for receiving the prongs of the plug wherein only when in the second position the openings of the shutter and the plug channels are aligned permitting axial displacement of the prongs into the housing, and a strike plate located between the housing and the shutter for preventing the rotation of the shutter to the second position absent axial displacement of the prongs sufficient to engage the strike plate.

Claims

1. An outlet unit for providing a supply voltage to the prongs of a plug comprising:

a housing having a plurality of electrically conductive plug channels for receiving the prongs of the plug;

a shutter rotatably mounted to the housing and operative in one of a first and a second position, the shutter having openings for receiving the prongs of the plug wherein only when in the second position the openings of the shutter and the plug channels are aligned permitting axial displacement of the prongs into the housing; and

a strike plate located between the housing and the shutter for preventing the rotation of the shutter to the second position absent axial displacement of the prongs sufficient to engage the strike plate.

2. The outlet unit as set forth in claim 1 wherein when in the second position the shutter maintains a sufficient residual torque to rotate back into the first position such that the prongs of the plug are substantially prevented from being axially withdrawn from the housing.

3. The outlet unit as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of the plug channels comprise:

a power contact through which voltage may be supplied to one of said prongs; and

a sensor contact said sensor contact not in physical or electrical contact with said power contact.

4. The outlet unit as set forth in claim 3 additionally comprising a control circuit coupled to the power contact and the sensor contact of each of the plurality of plug channels for enabling the supply of voltage to each of said power contacts when the control circuit senses that the establishment of electrical continuity between the sensor contact, the prong, and the power contact in each of the plurality of prong channels occurs within a time period not exceeding a predetermined maximum.

5. The outlet unit set forth in claim 4 wherein the time period is between 0 and 300 milliseconds.

6. The outlet unit set forth in claim 5 wherein the time period is preferably between 150 and 250 milliseconds.

7. The outlet unit set forth in claim 4 wherein the control circuit disables the supply of voltage to each of said power contacts when the control circuit senses the loss of electrical continuity between the continuity sensor, the prong, and the power contact in any one of the plurality of prong channels.

8. An apparatus for converting a DC input signal to one or more AC output signals comprising:

a timer/control for emitting modulated timing and logic control signals; and

a power converter for receiving said modulated timing and control signals comprising;

a plurality of master chopper oscillators responsive to said modulated timing and control signals so as to alter the voltage of the DC input signal for output as a single phase of one of the AC output signals;

a plurality of current limiting chopper oscillators responsive to said modulated timing and control signals so as to alter the voltage of the DC input signal for output as a single phase of one of the AC output signals;

a current integrator in electrical contact with one of the AC output signals said current integrator capable of measuring current drawn from the AC output signal and modifying the control signals of the current limiting chopper oscillators so as to shorten the duration of time of each positive or negative voltage phase of the AC output signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 additionally comprising an EMI filter said EMI filter filtering out EMI transmitted between one or more load devices drawing power from the one or more AC output signals.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said current limiting chopper oscillators pulse width modulate the phases of each AC output signal when the peak current drawn at any moment exceeds a predefined maximum.