Patent Publication Number: US-7914344-B2

Title: Dual-barrel, connector jack and plug assemblies

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Connector jack and plug assemblies are used in the transmission of power and data signals to electronic devices such as, for example, gaming consoles, computer systems, and the like. In addition, connector jack and plug assemblies may be used for receiving data signals from electronic devices. For example, a jack assembly may be configured to interface with a plug assembly for connecting a gaming console to a power supply. 
     Current barrel-type connectors are cylindrical in shape and are operable to couple the connector plug with the connector jack independent of the orientation of the connector plug with respect to the connector jack. However, current barrel-type connectors can only support one output with a signal pin or two outputs without a signal pin. It is desirable in many applications to provide barrel-type connectors having more than one signal pin and additional outputs. 
     SUMMARY 
     Barrel-type connectors having more than one signal pin and additional outputs are disclosed herein. Particularly, the present disclosure relates to plug assemblies having two single barrel connectors that are situated side-by-side. Each barrel may include two or more contacts for receiving and transmitting DC IN+ electrical signals. Further, each barrel may include two or more contacts for receiving and transmitting DC IN− electrical signals. Inside each barrel connector may be disposed center pins, which may be utilized as either an input pin, such as for example, a power enable pin, another input pin, or an output pin. The barrel connectors may be cylindrically-shaped and configured to mate to a dual-barrel, connector jack assembly as described herein. 
     A bridge component may be disposed between the barrel connectors for preventing the plug assembly from being inserted into the jack assembly in the wrong orientation. The bridge assembly may be shaped to prevent improper insertion into a corresponding aperture of the jack assembly. 
     Further, the present disclosure relates to dual-barrel, connector jack assemblies. The jack assemblies disclosed herein may include a connector body having two cylindrically-shaped mating apertures. Each mating aperture may include two or more contacts for receiving and transmitting DC IN+ electrical signals. Further, each mating aperture may include two or more contacts for receiving and transmitting DC IN− electrical signals. Further, inside each mating aperture may be disposed center contacts, which extend into the aperture for connecting to a corresponding pin of a plug assembly. The jack assembly may include a bridge aperture that mates to a bridge component of the plug assembly for preventing improper interface to the plug assembly. 
     A jack assembly disclosed herein may be implemented in a gaming console for connecting the gaming console to a power assembly. The power assembly may include a plug assembly as disclosed herein for interfacing with the gaming console. 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Further, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The dual-barrel, connector jack assemblies and plug assemblies in accordance with this specification are further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic representation of an exemplary gaming console and power assembly utilizing jack and plug assemblies disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 2  depicts a front view of an exemplary jack assembly disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 3  depicts a sectional view of the jack assembly disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 4  depicts an isometric view of the jack assembly disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 5  depicts a side view of the jack assembly disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 6  depicts a rear view of the jack assembly disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 7  depicts a bottom view of the jack assembly disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 8  depicts a top view of the jack assembly disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 9  depicts an isometric view of the plug assembly disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 10  depicts a front view of the plug assembly disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 11  depicts a sectional view of the plug assembly disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 12  depicts a side view of the plug assembly disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 13  depicts a top view of the plug assembly disclosed herein; 
         FIG. 14  depicts a bottom view of the plug assembly; and 
         FIG. 15  depicts a rear view of the plug assembly disclosed herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be understood with reference to  FIGS. 1-15 , wherein like numbers are used to indicate like and corresponding parts. 
     The present disclosure relates to dual-barrel, connector plug assemblies that overcome shortcomings found in current single barrel electrical connectors. The plug assemblies disclosed herein may include two single barrel connectors situated side-by-side. Each barrel may include two or more contacts for receiving and transmitting DC IN+ electrical signals. Further, each barrel may include two or more contacts for receiving and transmitting DC IN− electrical signals. Further, inside each barrel connector may be disposed center pins, which may be utilized as either an input pin, such as for example, a power enable pin, another input pin, or an output pin. The barrel connectors may be cylindrically-shaped and configured to mate to a dual-barrel, connector jack assembly as described herein. 
     A bridge component may be disposed between the barrel connectors for preventing the plug assembly from being inserted into the jack assembly in the wrong orientation. The bridge assembly may be shaped to prevent improper insertion into a corresponding aperture of the jack assembly. 
     Further, the present disclosure relates to dual-barrel, connector jack assemblies. The jack assemblies disclosed herein may include a connector body having two cylindrically-shaped mating apertures. Each mating aperture may include two or more contacts for receiving and transmitting DC IN+ electrical signals. Further, each mating aperture may include two or more contacts for receiving and transmitting DC IN− electrical signals. Further, inside each mating aperture may be disposed center contacts, which extend into the aperture for connecting to a corresponding pin of a plug assembly. The jack assembly may include a bridge aperture that mates to a bridge component of the plug assembly for preventing improper interface to the plug assembly. 
     A jack assembly disclosed herein may be implemented in a gaming console for connecting the gaming console to a power assembly. The power assembly may include a plug assembly as disclosed herein for interfacing with the gaming console.  FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of an exemplary gaming console  10  and power assembly  11  utilizing jack and plug assemblies disclosed herein. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the power assembly  11  may include an AC adapter  13 , a plug assembly  14 , a power cord  15 , and an electrical cable  16 . 
     The gaming console  10  may alternatively be a computing system or any other suitable electronic device. Further, the gaming console  10  may be plugged into an electrical outlet  17  via the AC adapter  13  to operate on power supplied by the electrical outlet  17 . This allows electrical current or power to flow from the electrical outlet  17  through the power cord  15  to the AC adapter  13 . The AC adapter  13  receives the AC power signal from the electrical outlet  17  and converts it into a DC power signal that may be used by the gaming console  10 . The DC power signal travels from the AC adapter  13  along the electrical cable  16  to the plug assembly  14  to the gaming console  10 . 
       FIGS. 2-8  illustrate different views of an exemplary embodiment of a dual-barrel, connector jack assembly  20 .  FIG. 2  depicts a front view of the jack assembly  20 ,  FIG. 3  depicts a sectional view of the jack assembly  20  taken along line A,  FIG. 4  depicts an isometric view of the jack assembly  20 ,  FIG. 5  depicts a side view of the jack assembly  20 ,  FIG. 6  depicts a rear view of the jack assembly  20 ,  FIG. 7  depicts a bottom view of the jack assembly  20 , and  FIG. 8  depicts a top view of the jack assembly  20 . 
     The jack assembly  20  is a receptacle for the plug assembly  14  and operably couples with the plug assembly  14  to provide DC power and data signals to gaming console  10 . The jack assembly  20  may include outer contacts  21 - 36  and center contacts  37  and  38  positioned within cylindrically-shaped mating apertures  39  and  40 . The outer contacts  21 - 36  are operable to receive and transmit any suitable type of electrical signals. Particularly, for example, outer contacts  23  and  25  may be operable to receive and transmit a DC IN− electrical current, outer contacts  33  and  35  may be operable to receive and transmit a DC IN− electrical current, outer contacts  22  and  26  may be operable to receive and transmit a DC IN+ electrical current, and outer contacts  32  and  36  may be operable to receive and transmit a DC IN+ electrical current. The DC IN− contacts in each mating aperture may be paired together as a single DC IN− connector. Similarly, the DC IN+ contacts in each mating aperture may be paired together as a single DC IN+ connector. Each outer contact may be rated for 5 amperes (A). Thus, the DC IN+ connector and DC IN− connector in each barrel may be rated for 10 A. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the outer contacts  21 ,  24 ,  26 ,  27 , and  28  within the mating aperture  39  and the outer contacts  29 - 31  and  34  within the mating aperture  40  may function as assistant pins for assisting in the mechanical coupling of the jack assembly  20  to the plug assembly. In this example, the outer contacts are not in electrical communication with the other contacts, but solely assist in the mechanical coupling. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, the outer contacts  21 ,  24 ,  26 ,  27 , and  28  within the mating aperture  39  and the outer contacts  29 - 31  and  34  within the mating aperture  40  may be in electrical communication with one or more other contacts of the jack assembly  20 . For example, the assistant outer contact  21  may be electrically connected to the DC IN− contact  23 . 
     The center contacts  37  and  38  are operable to receive and transmit any suitable type of electrical signals. For example, the center contacts  37  and  38  may receive and transmit data signals. The center contact  37  may be a +5 VSB power supply input. The center contact  38  may be a power enable contact. Further, the center contacts  37  and  38  may be disposed within center apertures. 
     The contacts  21 - 28  may be composed of any suitable conductive material. For example, the contacts may be composed of a base metal allow such as a copper alloy or any other appropriate base metal alloy and include a surface plating or coating of silver or any other appropriate plating metal. 
     The jack assembly  20  may include a jack housing  41  and jack body  42 . The housing  41  may be composed of thermoplastic (e.g., thermoplastic UL 94V-0), the like, or other suitable material. The housing  41  may provide grounding for the jack assembly  20  from external electrical sources. For example, the housing  41  may provide a ground for the jack assembly  20  against any static electricity that may build up in the gaming console  10  and therefore prevent an overload due to static electricity. 
     The jack body  42  is disposed within the jack housing  41  and provides the coupling apparatus for the plug assembly  14  and the jack assembly  20 . The jack body  42  may include electrically-insulative material and may be composed of a suitable thermoplastic. Disposed in the jack body  42  are mating apertures  39  and  40  which allow for the coupling of the plug assembly  14  with the jack assembly  20 . The jack body  42  may also include inner bodies  43  and  44  having a cylindrical shape and which are positioned within apertures  39  and  40 , respectively. The inner bodies  43  and  44  allow for the coupling of the plug assembly  14  with the jack assembly  20 . The inner bodies  43  and  44  include center apertures  100  and  101 , respectively, which may receive and mate with center pins of the plug assembly  14 . 
     Further, disposed in the jack body  42  is a bridge aperture  45  positioned between the mating apertures  39  and  40 . In this example, the bridge aperture  45  may extend between the mating apertures  39  and  40  and connect the spaces between the mating apertures. Alternatively, the bridge aperture  45  may not connect to the mating aperture or may only connect to one of the mating apertures. The bridge aperture  45  may allow for the coupling of the plug assembly  14  with the jack assembly  20 . 
     The bridge aperture  45  may be any suitable size and shape for properly orienting connection of the jack assembly  20  with a plug assembly such that the contacts of the jack assembly connect to the correct contacts of the plug assembly. In other words, the barrels of the plug assembly should be properly fitted within the correct barrel apertures of the jack assembly. For example, the bridge aperture may include opposing surfaces  46  and  47 , which are differently shaped for orienting connection of the jack and plug assemblies with one another. In this example, the surface  46  has a flat shape, and the surface  47  has a contoured or rounded shape, such that a bridge component of the plug assembly, described herein, can only fit in single orientation. 
     The jack assembly  20  may couple with a printed circuit board (PCB) which may be the motherboard of the gaming console  10 . The jack assembly  20  and the PCB may include a specific layout of pin connectors for coupling the jack assembly  20  and the PCB and for transmission of electrical current and data signals from the power assembly  11  to the gaming console  10 . For example, the jack assembly  20  may include pin connectors  50  for connecting to corresponding pins of the PCB. In addition, for example, the jack assembly  20  may include one or more mounting structures  51  for securing the jack assembly to the PCB or another mounting structure of the gaming console  10 . 
       FIGS. 9-15  illustrate different views of an exemplary embodiment of the dual-barrel, connector plug assembly  14 .  FIG. 9  depicts an isometric view of the plug assembly  14 ,  FIG. 10  depicts a front view of the plug assembly  14 ,  FIG. 11  depicts a sectional view of the plug assembly  14  taken along line B,  FIG. 12  depicts a side view of the plug assembly  14 ,  FIG. 13  depicts a top view of the plug assembly  14 ,  FIG. 14  depicts a bottom view of the plug assembly  14 , and  FIG. 15  depicts a rear view of the plug assembly  14 . 
     The plug assembly  14  is used as part of the power assembly  11  to provide DC power and data signals to the gaming console  10 . The plug assembly has two barrel-style connectors  60  and  61  having mating bodies  62  and  63 , respectively, that may couple with the jack assembly  20 . The barrel-style connectors  60  and  61  of the plug assembly  14  may include outer contacts  70 - 77  and center pins  78  and  79 . The contacts  70 ,  71 ,  74 , and  75  may be attached to the mating body  62 . Similarly, the contacts  72 ,  73 ,  76 , and  77  may be attached to the mating body  63 . The mating bodies  62  and  63  may each be cylindrically-shaped and composed of electrically-insulative material such as, for example, thermoplastic (e.g., thermoplastic UL 94V-0), the like, or other suitable material. 
     The contacts  70 - 77  are operable to receive and transmit any suitable type of electrical signals. Particularly, for example, outer contacts  70 - 73  may each be operable to receive and transmit a DC IN− electrical current, and outer contacts  74 - 77  may each be operable to receive and transmit a DC IN+ electrical current. The insulative mating bodies  62  and  63  prevent electrical communication between the contacts  70 - 77 . 
     When the plug assembly  14  is coupled to the jack assembly  20 , contact  70  of the plug assembly  14  is in electrical communication with the contacts  31  and  33  of the jack assembly  20 , contact  71  of the plug assembly  14  is in electrical communication with the contacts  29  and  35  of the jack assembly  20 , contact  72  of the plug assembly  14  is in electrical communication with the contacts  25  and  27  of the jack assembly  20 , and contact  73  of the plug assembly  14  is in electrical communication with the contacts  21  and  23  of the jack assembly  20 . In addition, when the plug assembly  14  is coupled to the jack assembly  20 , contact  74  of the plug assembly  14  is in electrical communication with the contacts  30  and  32  of the jack assembly  20 , contact  75  of the plug assembly  14  is in electrical communication with the contacts  34  and  36  of the jack assembly  20 , contact  76  of the plug assembly  14  is in electrical communication with the contacts  22  and  24  of the jack assembly  20 , and contact  77  of the plug assembly  14  is in electrical communication with the contacts  26  and  28  of the jack assembly  20 . Thus, by coupling the plug assembly  14  and the jack assembly  20 , DC IN+ and DC IN− electrical signals can be communicated between the plug assembly  14  and the jack assembly  20 . 
     Further, when the plug assembly  14  is coupled to the jack assembly  20 , pins  78  and  79  of the plug assembly  14  may contact center contacts  38  and  37 , respectively. Thus, when the assemblies are coupled, electrical signals may then be communicated between each contact and its respective pin. 
     The plug assembly  14  may include a plug housing  80  and plug body  81 . The housing  80  may be composed of PVC, the like, or other suitable material. The housing  80  may provide grounding for the plug assembly  14  from external electrical sources. For example, the housing  80  may provide a ground for the plug assembly  14  against static electricity. 
     The plug body  81  is disposed within the plug housing  80  and provides the coupling apparatus for the plug assembly  14  and the jack assembly  20 . The plug body  81  may include electrically-insulative material and may be composed of thermoplastic (e.g., thermoplastic UL 94V-0), the like, or other suitable material. 
     The plug body  81  includes a bridge component  82  which allow for the coupling of the plug assembly  14  with the jack assembly  20 . The bridge component  82  may be any suitable size and shape for properly orienting connection of the plug assembly  14  with the jack assembly  20  such that the contacts of the jack assembly connect to the correct contacts of the plug assembly. In other words, the barrels of the plug assembly should be properly fitted within the correct barrel apertures of the jack assembly. For example, the bridge component  82  may include opposing surfaces  83  and  84 , which are differently shaped for orienting connection of the jack and plug assemblies with one another. In this example, the surface  83  has a flat shape, and the surface  84  has a contoured or rounded shape, such that a bridge component of the plug assembly, described herein, can only fit in single orientation. For example, the surface  83  of the plug assembly  14  fits to the surface  46  of the jack assembly  20 , and the surface  84  of the plug assembly  14  fits to the surface  47  of the jack assembly  20 . 
     It should be understood that the configurations and/or approaches described herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments or examples are not to be considered limiting. The specific structures described herein may represent one or more of any number of different applicable structures.