Patent Grant
7341458
The present invention relates to an electric signal transmission connector assembly, and more particularly to a connector assembly including a receptacle and at least one stackable plug, which are internally provided with a magnet each, so as to magnetically connect to one another.
With the advanced technologies, there are developed more and more types of electronic products, which are able to integrate multiple different functions. For this purpose, there are multiple electric connector assemblies provided on the modern electronic products for connecting to other electronic product for transferring data between them.
A connector assembly on general electronic products, such as earphones, USB devices, power supply, etc., usually includes a male connector or plug that has a projected blade as long as 1 cm to 2 cm for plugging in a female connector or receptacle. The projected blade is held to the receptacle by frictional contact or mortise joint. With these conventional mechanical connecting structures, the plug and the receptacle tend to become damaged and the blade on the plug tends to break when the plug has been plugged or unplugged for many times or at incorrect angular position, or been unintentionally pulled.
To overcome the above problems, connector manufacturers would usually increase the thickness of cables connected to the connectors and enhance the structural strength of the connectors, so that the cables and the connectors may bear large pressure applied to the receptacles by users. However, this way will inevitably increase the weight of cable and form waste of material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,941 published on Sep. 12, 1978 discloses an electrode and magnetic connector assembly. In the assembly, the connector contains a magnet to facilitate mating with an elongated upstanding contact member of the electrode. However, only one single magnet-containing connector can be mated with one contact of the electrode. There is not structure allowing multiple pieces of the magnet-containing connectors to be stacked up and connected to one contact member at the same time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,316 published on Oct. 17, 1989 discloses a connector apparatus; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,056,127 published on Jun. 6, 2006 discloses an audio plug. The connector apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,316 and the audio plug of U.S. Pat. No. 7,056,127 are used with a headset and configured for magnetic connection of three contact points to one another. However, these prior do not take electromagnetic shielding of high-frequency signal into consideration, and the plugs thereof could not be stacked up for connecting to the same one receptacle.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide an electric signal transmission connector assembly that includes a receptacle and at least one plug, which are internally provided with a permanent magnet each, so as to connect to one another through magnetic attraction without the problems of damaged plug or receptacle connected via mechanical structures.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric signal transmission connector assembly that includes a receptacle and at least one plug magnetically connected to one another. The plug is so designed that it has an upper side formed into a receiving section and a lower side formed into a connecting section, such that multiple plugs may be stacked up to connect to the same receptacle for transmitting multiple electric signals at the same time.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an electric signal transmission connector assembly that includes a receptacle and at least one plug, which are magnetically connected to one another and include a metal cover each to protect internal magnets against collision and reduce internal and external electromagnetic interference, so as to prevent high-frequency signals from overflowing or leaking.
To achieve the above and other objects, the electric signal transmission connector assembly with magnetically connected receptacle and plug according to the present invention mainly includes a plug and a receptacle mounted on a circuit board in an electronic apparatus.
The plug includes an upper and a lower case that together define an internal space between them to enclose a first magnet, a first transmission assembly, and other metal parts therein.
The first transmission assembly includes a first circuit board, which is connected to a cable and provided with a plurality of holes; a plurality of first terminals mounted to the holes on the first circuit board; and a first insulating member put around the first terminals to hold the first terminals in place while isolate them from one another; and the first insulating member having a slightly outward protruded top. The first magnet is located around the first insulating member. The metal parts include a first metal cover and a metal face plate having a predetermined thickness. The first metal cover is downward covered on and around the first magnet, and then welded to an upper side of the first circuit board, and the metal face plate is welded to a lower side of the first circuit board. With these arrangements, the plug has an upper side formed into a first receiving section and a lower side formed into a first connecting section.
The receptacle includes a second metal cover, a second magnet, and a second transmission assembly.
The second transmission assembly includes a second circuit board having a plurality of holes formed thereon; a plurality of second terminals fitly mounted in the holes on the second circuit board; and a second insulating member put around the second terminals to locate and isolate the second terminals from one another. The second magnet is located around the second insulating member. The second metal cover is connected to the second transmission assembly. With the above arrangements, the receptacle has an upper side formed into a second receiving section for the first connecting section on the plug to connect thereto, and a lower side connected to the circuit board in the electronic apparatus.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the first terminals in the plug is mounted in the first insulating member with an upper end located lower than the protruded top of the first insulating member. The first terminal also has a lower end formed into a specially shaped contact end, and an expanded middle section abutted on a top of the first circuit board around the hole thereof. And, the first terminals have sidewalls electrically connected to inner walls of the holes on the first circuit board.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the second terminals in the receptacle is mounted in the second insulating member with an upper end located lower than a top of the second insulating member, and has an expanded middle section abutted on a top of the second circuit board around the hole thereof. And, the second terminals have sidewalls electrically connected to inner walls of the holes on the second circuit board.
Wherein, the first and the second metal terminals may be of a solid structure or a tubular structure internally provided with a spring, and are made of an electrically conductive material, such as iron, aluminum, nickel, or copper, and plated with a layer of electrically conductive and anti-oxidative material, such as tin, zinc, nickel, copper, silver, gold, or a composite coating.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the receptacle is mounted on the circuit board in an electronic apparatus, such as a mobile phone, a camera, or a computer, so as to integrate the signal transmission function. When the plug is magnetically connected to the receptacle, digital or analog electric signals may be output to or input from an external electronic apparatus via the connector assembly, and power may be supplied to the electronic apparatus from a power source via the connector assembly.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the metal parts of the plug include a first metal cover and a metal face plate, which are welded to upper and lower sides of the first circuit board, respectively, so as to enclose the first terminals, the first insulating member, and the first permanent magnet between them, and form a metal shield.
In an ideal embodiment of the present invention, the receptacle includes a second metal cover to enclose the second terminals, the second insulating member, and the second magnet therein. The second metal cover is welded at a lower periphery to the second circuit board to form a ground of the metal shield. The second terminals and the ground are led out from the second circuit board to electrically connect to corresponding electrodes on the circuit board of the electronic apparatus.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first and the second magnet may be of one-piece annular magnets or assembled from multiple units each; and are of Nd—Fe—B magnet or Sm—Co magnet, and plated with a layer of electrically conductive and anti-oxidative material, such as tin, zinc, nickel, copper, silver, gold, or a composite coating.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the metal covers and the metal face plate are made of a ferromagnetic material, such as copper alloys, pure iron, low-carbon steel, or silicon steel, and plated with a layer of electrically conductive and anti-oxidative material, such as tin, zinc, nickel, copper, silver, gold, or a composite coating.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first and the second insulating member have a non-axisymmetrical outer periphery, and are made of a plastic material.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first and the second metal covers are further provided with a through opening each.
The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein
Please refer to
As can be seen from
When the metal cover 15 is mounted on and around the magnet 14, the upward protruded top of the insulating member 13 is projected from the through opening of the metal cover 15 by a predetermined distance. The protruded top of the insulating member 13 and the isolated terminals 12 in the insulating member 13 together form an outward projected receiving section. The face plate 16 with a predetermined thickness also has a central opening, which defines a recess when the face plate 16 is welded to the lower side of the circuit board 11. The terminals 12 are mounted in the holes 112 of the circuit board 11 with the contact ends 121 downward protruded into the recess formed between the circuit board 11 and the face plate 16, so that an inward depressed plugging section is formed.
Please refer to
As can be seen from
When the metal cover 25 is mounted on and around the magnet 24, the upward protruded top of the insulating member 23 is projected from the through opening of the metal cover 25 by a predetermined distance. The protruded top of the insulating member 23 and the isolated terminals 22 in the insulating member 23 together form an outward projected receiving section.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the metal terminals 12, 22 are made of an electrically conductive material, such as iron, aluminum, nickel, or copper, and are plated with a layer of electrically conductive and anti-oxidative material, such as tin, zinc, nickel, copper, silver, gold, or a composite coating.
The metal terminals 12, 22 may be of a solid structure or a tubular structure internally provided with a spring.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the insulating member 13, 23 have a non-axisymmetrical outer periphery, and are made of a plastic material.
The permanent magnets 14, 24 are of a ferromagnetic material, such as Nd—Fe—B magnet and Sm—Co magnet, and are plated with a layer of electrically conductive and anti-oxidative material, such as tin, zinc, nickel, copper, silver, gold, or a composite coating.
The magnets 14, 24 may be of one-piece annular magnets, or assembled from multiple units each. The magnets 14, 24 respectively have two pole faces separately located at upper and lower sides thereof, so that the plug 10 and the receptacle 20 are connected through magnetic attraction between two different poles.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the metal covers 15, 25, and the metal face plate 16 are made of a ferromagnetic material, such as copper alloys, pure iron, low-carbon steel, silicon steel, etc., and plated with a layer of electrically conductive and anti-oxidative material, such as tin, zinc, nickel, copper, silver, gold, or a composite coating.
The circuit boards 11, 21 of the plug 10 and the receptacle 20, respectively, are made of an insulating material, on which metal wires are fixed at desired positions according to predetermined circuit design. The circuit boards 11, 21 may be conventional printed circuit boards or manufactured by the newly developed metal insertion plastic molding.
Due to the magnetic traction, the plug 10 approached to the receptacle 20 is automatically connected to the receptacle 20, allowing transmission of digital or analog electric signals between two electronic apparatuses and/or supply of power from a power source to an electronic apparatus via the connector assembly of the present invention.
The connector assembly of the present invention may be applied to various types of electronic devices, such as MP3 walkman, portable hard disk, digital camera, computer, etc., to serve as a hardware port on a transmission interface.
Please refer to
With the above arrangements, each plug 10 has one side formed into the protruded receiving section and another opposite side formed into the depressed connecting section. Therefore, two or more plugs 10 may be stacked up by magnetically connecting the depressed connecting section of an upper plug 10 to the protruded receiving section of a lower plug 10, as shown in
As can be seen from the arrows in
In the present invention, the permanent magnets 14, 24 attract each other to easily magnetically connect the plug 10 to the receptacle 20. The problems of damaged plug and receptacle due to incorrect force applying angle or excessive plugging force may therefore be overcome. Moreover, since the connector assembly of the present invention allows multiple plugs 10 to stack up and magnetically connect to the same one receptacle 20, the number of receptacles may be reduced to save a lot of space.
The present invention has been described with some preferred embodiments thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4112941 | Larimore | Sep 1978 | A |
| 4874316 | Kamon et al. | Oct 1989 | A |
| 5229703 | Harris | Jul 1993 | A |
| 7056127 | Suzuki et al. | Jun 2006 | B2 |
