Abstract:
A magnetic connector includes an insulative housing having a chamber, a first contact retained in the chamber, a magnetic element having a receiving hole recessed rearwards from a front face thereof for accommodating the housing therein, and a grounding member exposed outside of the magnetic element to surrounding the magnetic element. The grounding member covers the front face of the magnetic element for mating with a counterpart contact. The grounding member exposed outside of the magnetic element and covers the front face for facilitating reliable interconnection with a counterpart contact.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a magnetic connector, and more particularly to a magnetic connector having improved grounding member exposed outside of a magnetic element for facilitating reliable interconnection with a counterpart contact. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,621,753 issued to Pai on Nov. 24, 2009 discloses a magnetic power socket including an insulative housing having a hollow chamber, a positive contact received in the hollow chamber, a grounding copper ring enclosing the housing and the positive contact, and a magnetic member for receiving the housing. The magnetic member defines a hole recessed from a front face and providing a mating opening at the front face thereof, the housing assembled with the positive contact and the grounding copper ring is received in the hole from the opening, and the grounding copper ring provides a mating face disposed in the hole and facing to the opening for mating with a mating contact. However, the ringed mating face received inside of the magnetic member and sandwiched between the housing and the magnetic member provides little mating surface in the hole, and it is hard to get a reliable connection between the grounding copper ring and the mating contact. 
     Hence, a magnetic connector having improved grounding member is desired to overcome the aforementioned disadvantage of the prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic connector having improved grounding member which provides large mating face to get a reliability connection. 
     In order to achieve the object set forth, a magnetic connector includes an insulative housing having a chamber, a first contact retained in the chamber, a magnetic element having a receiving hole recessed rearwards from a front face thereof for accommodating the housing therein, and a grounding member exposed outside of the magnetic element to surrounding the magnetic element. The grounding member covers the front face of the magnetic element for mating with a counterpart contact. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an assembled, perspective view of a magnetic connector in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the magnetic connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the magnetic connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is another exploded view of the magnetic connector shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-section view of the magnetic connector taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe a preferred embodiment of the present invention in detail. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 , disclosed here is an magnetic connector  100  made in accordance with the present invention. The magnetic connector  100  mainly includes an insulative housing  1 , a first contact  2  received in the housing  1 , a magnetic element  3  receiving the housing  1  and the first contact  2  therein, and a grounding member enclosing the magnetic element  3 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5 , the insulative housing  1  defines a columnar main body portion  11  and an enlarged head portion  12  provided at a front end of the main body portion  11 . The main body portion  11  defines a columnar slot  13  recessed from a peripheral surface at a rear end thereof. The housing  1  defines a chamber running through the head portion  12  and the main body portion  11 , and the chamber provides a first receiving room  14  opening forwardly at a middle portion of the head portion  12  and a second receiving room  15  provided in the main body portion  11  to communicate with the first receiving room  14 . The first contact  2  defines a retaining portion  22 , an enlarged contacting portion  21  extending forwards from the retaining portion  22 , and a soldering portion  23  bending from a rear end of the retaining portion  22 . The first contact  2  is assembled to the housing  1  to act as a positive contact of the magnetic connector  100 . The contacting portion  21  is received in the first receiving room  14  and provides a contacting face  210  facing forwardly, the retaining portion  22  is retained in the second receiving room  15 , and the soldering portion  23  extends out of the housing  1 . The retaining portion  22  provides an engaging portion  220  at a front portion thereof to engage with the main body portion  11  for retaining the first contact  2  in the housing  1  securely. 
     The magnetic element  3  defines a rectangular base portion  31  and a protrusion  32  projecting forwardly from the base portion  31  at a middle portion thereof, the protrusion  32  provides a front face  320  facing forwardly, the base portion  31  provides two supporting faces  310  respectively disposed at upper and lower sides of the front face  320 , and a rear face  34  opposite to the front face  320  and the supporting faces  310 . The magnetic element  3  defines a receiving hole  33  recessed from the front face  320  at a middle portion thereof to run through the rear face  34  for accommodating the main body portion  11 . The housing  1  assembled with the first contact  2  is inserted into the receiving hole  33  from the front face  320  thereof, the main body portion  11  is received in the receiving hole  33 , and the head portion  12  is disposed in front of the receiving hole  33  and abuts against the front face  320  to prevent the housing  1  from moving rearwards overly. The rear end of the main body portion  11  runs through the receiving hole  33  to dispose the slot  13  extending beyond the rear face  34 . An insulative locking member  7  is forwardly assembled to the main body portion  11  to receive the rear end in a locking hole  71  disposed at a middle portion of the locking member  7 , a locking portion  73  projecting in the locking hole  71  extends into the slot  13  to lock with the housing  1  for preventing the housing  1  from moving forwards overly. The contacting face  210  is disposed in front of the front face  320  and parallel to the front face  320 . A circular gasket  6  attaches to the front face  320  and outwardly extends beyond the front face  320 , and the head portion  12  forwardly projects through a through hole defined at a middle portion of the gasket  6  to dispose the contacting face  210  extending beyond the gasket  6 . A metal frame  8  defining a receiving cavity  81  for accommodating the locking member  7  therein is attached to the rear face  34 , and a blocking portion  810  extending from a corner of the receiving cavity  81  projects into a corresponding receiving portion  72  to retain the metal frame  8  and the locking member  7  accurately. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5 , the grounding member includes a second contact  4  and a metal shell  5  connecting with the second contact  4 . The second contact  4  is assembled to the housing  1  to act as a grounding contact of the magnetic connector  100 . The second contact  4  defines a ringed mating portion  41  and a supporting portion  42  extending rearwards from the mating portion  41 . The mating portion  41  defines a mating face  430  facing forwardly, an abutting face  45  opposite to the mating face  430  and a first receiving space  43  disposed between the mating face  430  and the abutting face  45 . The supporting portion  42  extends rearwards from the abutting face  45  and provides a locking portion  420  bending outwards to provide a second receiving space  44  disposed behind the first receiving space  43 , the first receiving space  43  runs through the mating face  430  and the abutting face  45  at a middle portion thereof and further communicates with the second receiving space  44 . The circular second receiving space  44  has larger diameter than that of the first receiving space  43 , and the abutting face  45  is disposed in the second receiving space  43  as a blocking face at a joint of the first receiving space  43  and the second receiving space  44 . The metal shell  5  defines a top piece  51 , a bottom piece  52  opposite to the top piece  51  and two side pieces  53  connecting with the top piece  51  and the bottom piece  52  respectively. The top piece  51  defines a pair of front locking pieces  54  bending downwardly from a front end thereof and a rear locking piece  55  bending downwardly from a rear end opposite to the front end. The bottom piece  52  defines a pair of front locking pieces  54  bending upwards. The side wall  53  each defines a supporting piece  530  bending outwardly at a front end thereof and a side locking piece  56  bending inwardly from a rear end. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 5 , the second contact  4  is assembled to expose outside of the magnetic element  3  to cover the front face  320  for mating with a mating contact, and the metal shell  5  encloses four side faces of the base portion  31  of the magnetic element  3 . The abutting face  45  abuts against the gasket  6 , and a first face  421  of the locking portion  420  attaches to the supporting faces  310  at upper and lower portions thereof and abuts against the supporting pieces  530  at two side portions thereof to prevent the second contact  4  from moving rearwards overly. The front locking pieces  54  are bent to lock with the second face  422  of the locking portion  420  to prevent the second contact  4  from moving forwards. The rear locking piece  55  and the side locking pieces  56  are bent to lock with the metal frame  8  to retain the locking member  7  and the metal frame  8  to the magnetic element  3 . The head portion  12  retaining the contacting portion  21  therein is disposed in the first receiving cavity  43 , and the protrusion  32  is disposed in the second receiving cavity  44 . The second contact  4  provides a large mating face  430  exposed outside of the magnetic element  3  to cover the front face  320 , which makes the second contact  4  can be mated easily and securely. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.