Patent Application
20150092324
Embodiments described herein relate generally to connectors, and more particularly to a connector providing both an electrical and mechanical connection.
Many connectors may provide either electrical or mechanical connections between two elements. For example, screws, bolts and nails may mechanically fasten one object to another, thereby providing a mechanical connection between the two. Likewise, solder, flex circuits, electrical traces and the like provide electrical connections between two elements.
Generally, however, different connectors are used to provide mechanical connections and electrical connections between two elements. Using multiple connectors of different types may require additional space to form the connections, and may be inefficient in terms of the component layout of electronic devices, especially small form factor electronic devices.
One embodiment may take the form of a connector, including a rigid body, a head connected to the rigid body, and a flexible conductor coupled to the body. The rigid body and the flexible conductor define an electrically conductive path to the head.
Further, in some embodiments the rigid body defines an interior cavity, and the flexible conductor is at least partially received within the interior cavity. The flexible conductor is also affixed to the rigid body within the interior cavity.
Another embodiment may take the form of an electronic device, including a housing defining at least one sidewall, an interior component, and a connector passing through the at least one sidewall and mechanically contacting the interior component. The connector defines an electrically conductive path from the interior component to an exterior of the housing.
In some embodiments, the connector includes a head, a body affixed to the head, and a flexible connector affixed to the body. The head is positioned in the exterior of the housing, the body passes through the at least one sidewall, and the flexible connector mechanically contacts the interior component.
These and other embodiments will become clear upon reading the specification in its entirety.
The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:
It is noted that the drawings of the invention are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are intended to depict only typical aspects of the invention, and therefore should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements between the drawings.
Embodiments discussed herein may take the form of a connector providing both mechanical fastening capabilities and an electrical path between two separate elements. The sample connector may have a rigid body defining an aperture and a compressible contact that may be at least partially housed within the body. The compressible contact may extend at least partially outside the body when the contact is in an uncompressed state.
In other embodiments, the compressible contact may be joined to the body at an end of the body, such that it is not contained even partially within the body. In still other embodiments, the compressible contact may at least partially surround an end or other segment of the body.
The compressible contact may provide an electrical path from its tip or terminus through the body, or may form an electrical path in conjunction with the body. That is, the body itself may be partially or fully electrically conductive in certain embodiments. Alternately in some embodiments the body may be an electrical insulator.
In still other embodiments, a portion of the body may be formed from an insulator while the rest of the body is electrically conductive. Alternatively, an insulator may be added, affixed, adhered or placed adjacent to part of the body instead of forming a part of the body from the insulator.
The insulator and/or body may also provide a water-tight seal in some embodiments.
As one non-limiting example, the connector 200 may provide an electrical path to charge a battery housed within the electronic device 100. For example, the head 202 of the connector 200 may come in contact with a charging pad or station and transmit power through the connector to the internal battery. The electrical connection to charge the battery or other component within the electronic device may be a direct contact or an inductive path through the connector.
As another example, the connector 200 may be used in lieu of a data port, such as a universal serial bus port, LIGHTNING port, HDMI port, or other data port. A cable may be fitted to or be touched to the segment of the connector 200 that protrudes from or that is flush with the housing of the electronic device 100 in order to transmit data from the cable, through the connector 200 and to a component housed within the device. The head 202 of the connector 200 may protrude from the housing and/or be specially shaped to accept a cable, in some embodiments.
In some embodiments, the electrical/mechanical connector 200 may provide an electrical path or connection between an interior electrical component and an environment exterior to the electronic device 100. For example, the connector 200 may serve as an antenna, connecting a transmitter or transceiver integrated circuit with the environment outside the device 100 and thereby providing a signal path for the transmitter or transceiver.
As shown in
A spring 310 may be affixed to the body 304 of the connector 300 and may extend beyond an end of the body 304. The spring 310 and body 304 may be affixed with a joinder 312, for example a solder or any other suitable joinder or adhesive. Typically, the spring 310 is electrically conductive. In certain embodiments, the joinder 312 may be electrically conductive in order to maintain an electrical path from the spring 310, through the body 304 and to the head 302 of the connector 300. In other embodiments, the joinder 312 may not be electrically conductive, and the spring 310 may make physical contact with the body 304 to create an electrical connection. Some embodiments may use a flexible conductor, such as a wire, coil, S-shaped metal piece, leaf, other form of spring or the like in lieu of the depicted spring 310.
The spring 310 may contact the interior component 308, thereby establishing an electrically conductive path between the head 302 of the connector 300 and the interior component 308. Further, the spring may compress against the interior electrical component 308 as the threaded body 304 is turned through the sidewall 306, thus ensuring a snug connection and, optionally, a mechanical connection through friction. Accordingly, the connector 300 may maintain the relative positions of the housing (or at least sidewall) and interior component 308. It should be appreciated that the interior component 308 may have both mechanical and electrical properties or segments. For example, the interior component 308 may not only include an electrical connection to the connector 300, but may also provide structure or support to the electronic device 300 or components within the device.
The spring 310 may also optionally mechanically connect the connector 300 to the internal component 308. For example, the spring 310 may dig into the electrical component as it is turned against the component's surface, presuming the component 308 is sufficiently soft and the spring sufficiently firm. Alternately, a channel may be defined within the electrical component to accept the end of the spring 310 as it rotates when the connector 300 is turned to push the body 304 through the sidewall 306.
It may be useful to electrically isolate the connector 300 from the sidewall 306. The sides of the through-hole defined in the sidewall 306 (e.g., the hole through which the connector 300 passes) may be coated with an insulator in some embodiments Likewise, any portion of the sidewall 306 underlying the head 302 may be coated with an insulator. Alternately, a nut and washer 314 may be placed within the interior of the device and the body 304 threaded through the nut and washer. The washer and/or nut 314 may be plastic or another insulating material and may serve to hold the connector 300 in place when the sidewall 306 is frictionally engaged with both the washer (or nut) and bottom of the head 302. The nut 314 may be a portion of a second internal element, such as a plate, body or other mechanical structure, a portion of another electrical component, such as a flex cable or the like, or may be connected to a second internal element such as the aforementioned mechanical structure or electrical component. Thus, the connector 300 may mechanically join the housing not only to the internal component 308 but also to another internal structure or element.
In some embodiments, the underside of the head 302 may be treated with an electrically insulating material 316, or may compress such a material against the sidewall 306. The electrically insulating material 316 may also form a water-tight seal, thus preventing ingress of liquid, moisture, debris and the like into the interior of the electronic device. The electrically insulating material 316 may also prevent the connector 300 from forming an electrically conductive path with or to the sidewall 306.
The second portion 520 of the compressible pin 518 may be spring, biased to extend outward a certain distance from the body of the pin 518 and the cavity 402. As the connector 500 is pushed or turned against the component 308, the second portion 520 may compress into a body of the pin 518. Thus, the compressible pin 518 may provide not only an electrical connection between the connector 500 and the internal electrical component, but may also frictionally engage the component while the body 304 of the connector 500 mechanically engages the nut 314 affixed to the sidewall 306 (or, in some embodiments, mechanically engages the sidewall itself).
Thus, embodiments described herein may mechanically affix to an object while also providing an electrical path for an element within that object to an exterior of the object. Likewise, embodiments may provide both mechanical and electrical connections with an interior object located inside a housing.
Although certain embodiments have been described in detail, it should be appreciated that variations and changes may be made to such embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of coverage herein.
This application is a nonprovisional patent application of and claims the benefit to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/884,964, filed Sep. 30, 2013 and titled “Low-Profile Electrical and Mechanical Connector,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61884964 | Sep 2013 | US |
