Patent Publication Number: US-8529274-B2

Title: Electrical coupler

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to electrical couplers and, particularly, to a male connector and a female connector that are magnetically connected together. 
     2. Description of Related Arts 
     Although electrical connectors connected together by magnetic force are known in the art, there is room for improvement. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of a plug coupled to a receptacle according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric, exploded view of the plug and the receptacle of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is similar to  FIG. 2 , but viewed from another viewpoint. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the plug and the receptacle, taken along the line IV-IV of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail below, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a male connector/plug  10  and a female connector/receptacle  20  are coupled together. The plug  10  and the receptacle  20  are direct current (DC) connectors that are respectively fixed to a charger (not shown) and in a housing of an electronic device (not shown). An electronic connection can be made between the electronic device and a power source via the charger. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the plug  10  is cylindrical and includes a hollow metal housing  11 , and an insulating retainer  12  retained within the housing  11 . One end  121  of the retainer  12  is dented inward at one end  111  of the housing  11 . A barrel  13  made of magnetic material protrudes from the end  121 . In the embodiment, the barrel  13  and the housing  11  are both cylindrical. 
     A number of first terminals  14  and a number of second terminals  15  protrude from the end  121  of the retainer  12 . The terminals  14  are received in the barrel  13 , while the terminals  15  are arranged outside the barrel  13 . The terminals  14  and  15  are telescoping terminals. In the embodiment, each of the terminals  14  and  15  is connected to an elastic member  16 , such as a coil spring. The terminals  14  and  15  can be urged into the retainer  12  and can rebound under force of the elastic member  16 . The elastic members  16  are respectively connected to a number of wires of the charger. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the receptacle  20  includes a hollow metal housing  21 , an insulating barrel  22 , a metal post  23 , and a magnetic member  24 . The housing  21  includes an end wall  211  at an end thereof, and defines a through opening  212  in the wall  211 . The outer surface of the wall  211  defines a second end surface  213 . In the embodiment, the end surface  213  is an annular surface. The barrel  22  includes a barrel body  221  and a flange  222  extending from the lateral surface of the barrel body  221 . The housing  21  further includes a number of pins  214  that connect with a circuit board of the electronic device. 
     The flange  222  abuts against an inner surface of the wall  211  of the housing  21 . A portion of the housing  211  at one side of the flange  222  is received in the through opening  212  of the housing  21 . The metal post  23  is retained within the barrel  22  and includes an end that defines a first end surface  231 . An opposite end  232  of the metal post  23  is electrically connected to the circuit board of the electronic device. The magnetic member  24  is a ring and is sleeved on the barrel  22 . The magnetic member  24  is a magnet that abuts against the flange  222 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , when the plug  10  is inserted into the receptacle  20 , the barrel  13  of the plug  10  is received in the through hole opening  212  of the receptacle  20  and sleeves on the barrel body  221  of the receptacle  20 . The first terminals  14  of the plug  10  contact the first end surface  231  of the metal post  23 , and are urged to retract into the retainer  12 . The end wall  211  of the housing  21  is received between the housing  11  and the barrel  13 . The second end surface  213  of the wall  211  abuts against the second terminals  15 . The second terminals  15  are urged into the retainer  12 . 
     Because the magnet  24  of the receptacle  20  attracts the barrel  13  of the plug  10 , the terminals  14  and  15  can stay in tight contact with the first end surface  231  and the second end surface  213 . 
     While various embodiments have been described and illustrated, the disclosure is not to be constructed as being limited thereto. Various modifications can be made to the embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.