Universal wire harness for detectors
AssigneeBRK Brands, Inc.
InventorsMark Devine, Michael Swieboda, Andrew Ivanecky
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical unit, such as a fire or gas detector, carries a three conductor plug for receipt of energy, AC hot, and neutral, as well as for coupling to a bidirectional signaling line. A multiple conductor adapter makes it possible to couple the plug to a plurality of incompatible, previously installed sockets. The adapter can be fully contained in a single housing. Alternately, it can include a housing for some of the conductors with the remainder carried on a cable which extends from the housing.
Claims16
1-16. (canceled)
An adapter for coupling an existing connector to a different electrical unit than the one for which the existing connector was designed, the adapter comprising:
- a non-conductive housing which carries a first set of electrical conductors and a second set of electrical conductors where the number of the second set of conductors is the same as the number of the first set of conductors, where members of one set exhibit a manually variable electro-mechanical plug-type profile for engagement with socket elements of the existing connector and where members of the other set exhibit an electro-mechanical profile for engagement with a second plug carried by the electrical unit where the existing connector and the second plug are incompatible and are not mutually engageable;
- and
- where the one set of electrical conductors includes a plurality of flexible, elongated, conductors which terminate in respective rigid conducting prongs engageable with the existing connector.
An ambient condition detector comprising:
- a housing;
- a first connector carried on the housing, for mating to a second connector of a compatible form factor and electrical configuration;
- and
- a second connector which engages the first connector whereby the second connector includes a set of flexible electrical conductors extending therefrom, which terminate in respective rigid conducting pins engageable with a different connector with one of the conductors configured to receive and send ambient condition indicating signals.
A method of connecting ambient condition detectors to a cable that carries a plurality of spaced apart sockets comprising:
- providing an ambient condition detector having a plug with a different configuration than any of the sockets;
- providing an adapter which is compatible with the plug and at least one of the sockets with the adapter having a conductor for communicating between the ambient condition detector and other detectors connected to other sockets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.