RETRACTABLE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY AND ELECTRIC-HEATING GARMENT INCLUDING THE SAME
A retractable electrical connector assembly is attached to a piece of clothing, is electrically connected to an electric-powered article, and includes an electrical connector, a stationary unit and a movable unit. The electrical connector is disposed at the clothing and electrically connected between a power supply and the electric-powered article. The stationary unit is attached to the clothing. The movable unit is connected to the electrical connector, and is movable relative to the stationary unit to move the electrical connector between an inner position, where the electrical connector is received in the clothing, and an outer position, where the electrical connector is exposed partially from the clothing.
This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 101125837, filed on Jul. 18, 2012.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a retractable electrical connector assembly and an electric-heating garment including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to
In addition, the conventional electric-heating garment 9 is typically formed with a slit 971 on an outer cloth layer at a position close to a cuff of the sleeve of the upper body garment 91, and the electric-heating garment 9 further includes a pouch 97 that is disposed between the outer cloth layer and a lining layer of the sleeve, that corresponds to the slit 971, and that has an accommodating space in spatial communication with the slit 971 for receiving the extension cord 96 and the output terminal 961 therein. Moreover, the electric-heating garment 9 may further include a zipper (not shown) sewn on the sleeve at the slit 971 for opening and closing the slit 971. In such configuration, the extension cord 96 is able to be partially exposed from the pouch 97 via the slit 971 and the output terminal 961 is able to be electrically connected to the input terminal 951 of the glove 92.
However, it is difficult and inconvenient for a user to look for the extension cord 96 and the output terminal 961 disposed in the pouch 97 with one hand when the user is wearing the electric-heating garment 9. Further, it is also inconvenient to put the extension cord 96 and the output terminal 961 into the pouch 97 with one hand.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTherefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a retractable electrical connector assembly that is able to alleviate the above drawbacks of the prior art.
Accordingly, a retractable electrical connector assembly of the present invention is adapted to be attached to a piece of clothing and is adapted to be electrically connected to an electric-powered article for transmitting electricity from a power supply to the electric-powered article. The piece of clothing includes a clothing main body and a pair of limb parts extending from the clothing main body, and at least one of the limb parts is formed with a slit.
The retractable electrical connector assembly comprises an electrical connector, a stationary unit and a movable unit. The electrical connector is adapted to be disposed at the piece of clothing and is adapted to be electrically connected between the power supply and the electric-powered article for transmitting the electricity from the power supply to the electric-powered article. The stationary unit is adapted to be attached to one of the limb parts that is formed with the slit. The movable unit is connected to the electrical connector, is adapted to be exposed from one of the limb parts through the slit, and is movable relative to the stationary unit to move the electrical connector between an inner position, where the electrical connector is adapted to be received in said one of the limb parts, and an outer position, where the electrical connector is adapted to be exposed partially from said one of the limb parts.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric-heating garment provided with the aforesaid retractable electrical connector assembly.
According to another aspect, an electric-heating garment of the present invention comprises a piece of clothing, an electric-powered article, an electric-heating device and a retractable electrical connector assembly. The clothing includes a clothing main body and a pair of limb parts extending from the clothing main body, and at least one of the limb parts is formed with a slit. The retractable electrical connector assembly is disposed on the piece of clothing and includes an electrical connector, a stationary unit and a movable unit. The electrical connector is disposed at the piece of clothing and is electrically connected between the power supply and the electric-powered article for transmitting the electricity from the power supply to the electric-powered article. The stationary unit is attached to one of the limb parts formed with the slit. The movable unit is connected to the electrical connector, is exposed from said one of the limb parts through the slit, and is movable relative to the stationary unit to move the electrical connector between an inner position, where the electrical connector is received in said one of the limb parts, and an outer position, where the electrical connector is exposed partially from said one of the limb parts.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to
Referring to
Each of the retractable electrical connector assemblies 40 includes an electrical connector 31, a stationary unit 41, and a movable unit 42. The electrical connector 31 is disposed at the piece of clothing 110 and is electrically connected between the power supply 36 and a corresponding one of the electric-powered articles 20 for transmitting the electricity from the power supply 36 to the corresponding one of the electric-powered articles 20. The stationary unit 41 is attached to the corresponding one of the limb parts 11. The movable unit 42 is connected to the electrical connector 31, is exposed from the corresponding one of the limb parts 11 through the slit 116, and is movable relative to the stationary unit 41 to move the electrical connector 31 between an inner position, where the electrical connector 31 is received in the limb part 11 (see
Referring to
The electrical connector 31 includes an output terminal 311 configured to be electrically connected to the electric-powered article 20 for outputting the electricity thereto, and an electric cable 312 electrically connecting the output terminal 311 to the controller 32 for transmitting the electricity to the output terminal 311. The electric cable 312 extends through the apertures 117 of the pouch layer 114. The output terminal 311 is disposed out of the pouch layer 114, and is formed to be bigger than the apertures 117, preventing the output terminal 311 from passing through the pouch layer 114.
In this preferred embodiment, the controller 32 is a control chip, and is configured to adjust the electric power of the electricity transmitted from the power supply 36 before providing the electricity to the first and the second electric-heating components 34, 35. Specifically, the power-switching button 332 is user-operable to activate the controller 32 to adjust the electric power of the electricity transmitted from the power supply 36 to the first electric-heating component 34, so that the first electric-heating component 34 is operable to warm up the piece of clothing 110 with various levels of heating power. Similarly, the second electric-heating components 35 are operable to warm up the respective pockets 12 with various levels of heating power. For example, the controller 32 may adjust and output 100%, 75%, 50% or 25% of the electric power of the electricity transmitted from the power supply 36 so as to warm up the piece of clothing 110 with a desired level of heating power. In this embodiment, a user can repeatedly press the user-operable unit 33 to select a certain one of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of the electric power outputted from the power supply 36 in a cycling manner. It should be understood that the percentages of the electric power of the electricity are not limited to the disclosure of this preferred embodiment.
The electric-powered article 20 (i.e., the glove in this embodiment) includes an article main body 21, a third electric-heating component 22 disposed at the article main body 21, and an input terminal 23 electrically connected to the third electric-heating component 22. The input terminal 23 is configured to be electrically connected to the output terminal 311 of the electrical connector 31 of the retractable electrical connector assembly 40 for transmitting the electricity from the electrical connector 31 to the third electric-heating component 22. Thus, when the input terminal 23 is electrically connected to the output terminal 311 of the electrical connector 31, the user can operate the power-switching button 332 to activate the controller 32 to adjust the electric power of the electricity transmitted to the third electric-heating component 22, so that the third electric-heating component 22 is operable to warm up the electric-powered article 20 with various levels of heating power.
Referring to
Referring to
When the user wears the electric-heating garment 100, he or she is able to control the desired heating degree within the clothing 110 by simply pressing the power-switching button 332 on the user-operable unit 33 of the electric-heating device 30. For example, with correspondence to the number of times the user presses the power-switching button 332, the controller 32 may adjust and sequentially output 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of electric power of the electricity transmitted from the power supply 36 to achieve desired heating degree within the clothing 110.
Referring to
In this preferred embodiment, the movable cord 424 is in a ring shape. The pull rope 43 of the movable unit 42 is fixedly connected to the movable cord 424 between the stationary members 44. The connecting member 422 of the movable unit 42 is fixedly connected to the movable cord 424 at a position opposite to the pull rope 43. Accordingly, when the user pulls the pull rope 43 away from the end opening 112 of the limb part 11, the movable cord 424 is driven to move cyclically. Meanwhile, the connecting member 422 moves toward the end opening 112 of the limb part 11 so as to drive the electrical connector 31 to move opposite to the pull rope 43 from the inner position (as shown in
Referring to
It should be appreciated that, although the retractable electrical connector assembly 40 is disposed at the limb part (i.e., sleeve) of the piece of clothing 110 and the electric-powered article 20 is a glove in the foregoing embodiments, the retractable electrical connector assembly 40 may be disposed at a collar 13 (see
Referring to
To sum up, the retractable electrical connector assembly 40 according to the present invention facilitates the user to pull out or in the output terminal 311 of the electrical connector 31 using one hand. Moreover, by virtue of the pull rope 43 and the sliding members 421 of the movable unit 42, the slit 116 is always closed for preventing entry of water into the accommodating space 120 and for preventing exposure of the electric cable 312 through the slit 116. Further, the controller 32 is configured to control and provide the electricity from the power supply 36 to the second electric-heating components 35, which are disposed in the pockets 12, only when the electrical connector 31 is not electrically connected to the electric-powered article 20.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Claims
1. A retractable electrical connector assembly adapted to be attached to a piece of clothing and adapted to be electrically connected to an electric-powered article for transmitting electricity from a power supply to the electric-powered article, the piece of clothing including a clothing main body and a pair of limb parts extending from the clothing main body, at least one of the limb parts being formed with a slit, said retractable electrical connector assembly comprising:
- an electrical connector adapted to be disposed at the piece of clothing and to be electrically connected between the power supply and the electric-powered article for transmitting the electricity from the power supply to the electric-powered article;
- a stationary unit adapted to be attached to said one of the limb parts that is formed with the slit; and
- a movable unit connected to said electrical connector, adapted to be exposed from said one of the limb parts through the slit, and movable relative to said stationary unit to move said electrical connector between an inner position, where said electrical connector is adapted to be received in said one of the limb parts, and an outer position, where said electrical connector is adapted to be exposed partially from said one of the limb parts.
2. The retractable electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein:
- said stationary unit includes a pair of tooth members that are adapted to be sewn on said one of the limb parts of the piece of clothing at the slit; and
- said movable unit is connected to said stationary unit and includes at least one sliding member that is connected between said tooth members, that is slidable with respect to said tooth members, and that cooperates with said tooth members as a zipper, and a connecting member connecting said sliding member to said electrical connector for driving said electrical connector to move between the inner position and the outer position.
3. The retractable electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said electrical connector includes an output terminal adapted to be electrically connected to the electric-powered article for outputting the electricity to the electric-powered article, and an electric cable electrically connected to said output terminal for transmitting the electricity to said output terminal,
- wherein said connecting member of said movable unit is fixedly connected to one of said output terminal and said electric cable.
4. The retractable electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said movable unit includes two of said sliding members adjacent closely to each other, and further includes a pull rope interconnecting said sliding members, said connecting member being connected to one of said sliding members.
5. The retractable electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, said one of the limb parts including an outer cloth layer that has an inner surface, wherein:
- said stationary unit includes a pair of stationary members that are adapted to be connected fixedly to the inner surface of the outer cloth layer of said one of the limb parts, that are disposed adjacent respectively to opposite ends of the slit, and that are formed with respective through holes; and
- said movable unit includes a movable cord extending through said through holes and movable with respect to said stationary members, a pull rope connected fixedly to said movable cord and adapted to be pulled for moving said movable cord with respect to said stationary members, and a connecting member fixedly connecting said movable cord to said electrical connector for driving said electrical connector to move between the inner position and the outer position.
6. The retractable electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein said movable cord is in a ring shape, said pull rope of said movable unit is connected fixedly to said movable cord between said stationary members, and said connecting member of said movable unit is fixedly connected to said movable cord at a position opposite to said pull rope.
7. An electric-heating garment, comprising:
- a piece of clothing including a clothing main body and a pair of limb parts extending from said clothing main body, at least one of said limb parts being formed with a slit; and
- a retractable electrical connector assembly attached to said piece of clothing, and adapted to be electrically connected to an electric-powered article for transmitting electricity from a power supply to the electric-powered article, said retractable electrical connector assembly including an electrical connector disposed at said piece of clothing and adapted to be electrically connected between the power supply and the electric-powered article for transmitting the electricity from the power supply to the electric-powered article, a stationary unit attached to said one of the limb parts that is formed with said slit, and a movable unit connected to said electrical connector, exposed from said one of said limb parts through said slit, and movable relative to said stationary unit to move said electrical connector between an inner position, where said electrical connector is received in said one of said limb parts, and an outer position, where said electrical connector is exposed partially from said one of said limb parts.
8. The electric-heating garment as claimed in claim 7, wherein:
- said stationary unit includes a pair of tooth members that are sewn on said one of said limb parts of said piece of clothing at said slit; and
- said movable unit is connected to said stationary unit and includes at least one sliding member that is connected between said tooth members, that is slidable with respect to said tooth members, and that cooperates with said tooth members as a zipper, and a connecting member connecting said sliding member to said electrical connector for driving said electrical connector to move between the inner position and the outer position.
9. The electric-heating garment as claimed in claim 8, wherein said electrical connector includes an output terminal adapted to be electrically connected to the electric-powered article for outputting the electricity to the electric-powered article, and an electric cable electrically connected to said output terminal for transmitting the electricity to said output terminal,
- wherein said connecting member of said movable unit is fixedly connected to one of said output terminal and said electric cable.
10. The electric-heating garment as claimed in claim 8, wherein said movable unit includes two of said sliding members adjacent closely to each other, and further includes a pull rope interconnecting said sliding members, said connecting member being fixedly connected to one of said sliding members.
11. The electric-heating garment as claimed in claim 7, wherein:
- said one of said limb parts has an inner surface;
- said stationary unit includes a pair of stationary members that are connected fixedly to said inner surface of said one of said limb parts, that are disposed adjacent respectively to opposite ends of said slit, and that are formed with respective through holes; and
- said movable unit includes a movable cord extending through said through holes and movable with respect to said stationary members, a pull rope connected fixedly to said movable cord and adapted to be pulled for moving said movable cord with respect to said stationary members, and a connecting member fixedly connecting said movable cord to said electrical connector for driving said electrical connector to move between the inner position and the outer position.
12. The electric-heating garment as claimed in claim 11, wherein said movable cord is in a ring shape, said pull rope of said movable unit is connected fixedly to said movable cord between said stationary members, and said connecting member of said movable unit is fixedly connected to said movable cord at a position opposite to said pull rope.
13. The electric-heating garment as claimed in claim 7, wherein said one of said limb parts is further formed with an end opening away from said clothing main body, and includes an outer cloth layer formed with said slit near said end opening, a lining layer, and a pouch layer that is disposed between said outer cloth layer and said lining layer, that corresponds to said slit, that cooperates with said outer cloth layer to define an accommodating space in spatial communication with said slit, and that is formed a pair of apertures in spatial communication with said accommodating space and adjacent to opposite ends of said slit,
- wherein said electrical connector includes an output terminal adapted to be electrically connected to the electric-powered article for outputting the electricity to the electric-powered article, and an electric cable extending through said apertures and being electrically connected to said output terminal for transmitting the electricity to said output terminal,
- wherein said electrical connector is exposed partially from said one of said limb parts through said end opening when said electrical connector is at the outer position.
14. The electric-heating garment as claimed in claim 7, further comprising an electric-heating device that includes a first electric-heating component, and a controller electrically connected to said first electric-heating component and said electrical connector of said retractable electrical connector assembly, said controller being adapted to be electrically connected to the power supply and being configured to control the electricity transmitted from the power supply to said first electric-heating component and said electrical connector.
15. The electric-heating garment as claimed in claim 14, wherein said piece of clothing further includes a pair of pockets disposed at said clothing main body, and said electric-heating device further includes two second electric-heating components respectively disposed in said pockets and electrically connected to said controller,
- wherein said controller is further configured to control and provide the electricity from the power supply to said second electric-heating components when said electrical connector is not electrically connected to the electric-powered article.
16. The electric-heating garment as claimed in claim 14, wherein said electric-heating device further includes a user-operable unit that is disposed at said clothing main body of said piece of clothing, that is electrically connected to said controller, and that includes an on-off button for activating said controller to output the electricity from the power supply, and a power-switching button for activating said controller to adjust electric power of the electricity provided to said first electric-heating component and said electrical connector.
17. An electric-heating garment, comprising:
- a piece of clothing including a clothing main body and a pair of limb parts extending from the clothing main body, at least one of said limb parts being formed with a slit;
- an electric-powered article; and
- a retractable electrical connector assembly attached to said piece of clothing and electrically connected to said electric-powered article for transmitting electricity from a power supply to said electric-powered article, said retractable electrical connector assembly including an electrical connector disposed at said piece of clothing and adapted to be electrically connected between the power supply and said electric-powered article for transmitting the electricity from the power supply to said electric-powered article, a stationary unit attached to said one of the limb parts that is formed with said slit, and a movable unit connected to said electrical connector, exposed from said one of said limb parts through said slit, and movable relative to said stationary unit to move said electrical connector between an inner position, where said electrical connector is received in said one of said limb parts, and an outer position, where said electrical connector is exposed partially from said one of said limb parts.
18. The electric-heating garment as claimed in claim 17, wherein said electric-powered article includes an electric-heating component, and an input terminal electrically connected to said electric-heating component and said electrical connector of said retractable electrical connector assembly for transmitting the electricity from said electrical connector to said electric-heating component.
19. The electric-heating garment as claimed in claim 17, wherein said piece of clothing is an upper body garment, said limb parts are sleeves, and said electric-powered article is a glove.
20. The electric-heating garment as claimed in claim 17, wherein said piece of clothing is pants, said limb parts are pant legs, and said electric-powered article is a sock.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 12, 2013
Publication Date: Jan 23, 2014
Inventor: Steven Yue (Taipei City)
Application Number: 13/795,062
International Classification: A41D 1/00 (20060101); A41D 13/005 (20060101);