Electrical connectors – Interrelated connectors relatively movable during use – Movement about axis
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-12
2003-10-21
Ta, Tho D. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Interrelated connectors relatively movable during use
Movement about axis
C439S021000, C439S076100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06634888
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to electrical connection devices for electrically connecting two electrical or electronic devices, for example a mobile telephone and a battery charger or an earpiece.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For this kind of electrical connection, it is known in the art to use devices known as “jacks” which take the form of a receptacle, generally of circular section, into which a circular section plug is inserted. The receptacle is carried by the device and the plug terminates a multiconductor cable.
The receptacle and the plug each have the same number of conductive sections along their length, separated by insulative sections, the number of conductive sections depending on the number of conductors to be connected; corresponding conductive sections of the receptacle and the plug cooperate to make the electrical contact between them.
As electrical connection devices, jacks and the associated plugs have the following drawbacks:
a limited number of conductors can be interconnected,
they have large overall length, which increases with the number of conductors to be connected,
they break easily if the plug is pulled out roughly, even if it is elbow-shaped,
the opening of the receptacle and the receptacle itself can be soiled, for example by dust or by grains of sand, which leads to poor electrical contact, which can in turn lead to a fault caused by damage to the conductive sections,
the receptacle can be filled with water, which can also lead to poor electrical contact and a possible fault, and
the cables that can be connected to the devices are distinguished from each other by the diameter of the plug, and therefore of the receptacle, and a plug can be forced into a receptacle of slightly smaller diameter, causing damage that can lead to a fault.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide an electrical connection device, for making an electrical connection between a cable and an electrical/electronic device, that does not have the drawbacks of prior art electrical connection devices, in particular the drawbacks of the jacks and the associated plugs referred to above.
The above object is achieved by an electrical connection device in two parts, one of which has conductive circular tracks that are electrically connected to conductors to be connected and the other of which has spring contacts each of which cooperates with a conductive circular track and is electrically connected to conductors to be connected; the two parts of the electrical connection device are assembled with an elastic clipping action that maintains a pressure between each conductive circular track and the corresponding spring contact.
The invention relates more particularly to a fixed electrical connection member for use on an electronic device to connect at least one electrical conductor of the electronic device to a mobile electrical connection member outside the electronic device, which fixed electrical connection member includes, on a front face adapted to be on the outside of the electronic device, a conductive circular track connected to said electrical conductor of the electronic device, inside the electronic device, on a rear face, by an electrical conductor disposed in a bore passing through the fixed member.
According to the invention, the electrical conductor passing through the fixed member is electrically connected to a spring contact adapted to cooperate with a fixed electrical terminal of the electronic device including said electrical conductor of the electronic device.
The spring contact of the fixed member has a mobile first end adapted to cooperate with said fixed terminal of the electronic device and a fixed second end fastened to the fixed member.
The fixed member further includes an electrical conductor on its outside surface for electrically connecting a circular portion of the front face to the rear face of the fixed member.
The electrical conductor on the outside surface is connected to a spring contact on the rear face of said fixed member.
The electrical conductor on the outside surface is a conductive layer deposited on all or part of said outside surface.
If there are two or more electrical conductors on the outside surface of the fixed member, the adjacent conductive layers are insulated from each other by a gap with no conductive deposit.
The front face of the fixed member includes assembly means, such as a groove, adapted to cooperate with the mobile electrical connection member.
The fixed electrical connection member further includes mounting means for removably fixing it to the electronic device, and holding means fastened to the electronic device and adapted to cooperate with the mounting means to fit and retain said fixed member.
The mobile electrical connection member adapted to cooperate with the fixed electrical connection member includes:
a spring contact adapted to cooperate with a circular track of the fixed member, said spring contact having a mobile first end adapted to contact said circular track and a fixed second end adapted to be connected to an electrical conductor, and
mounting means for mounting said mobile member on the peripheral part of the front face of the fixed member to connect said spring contact to said circular track.
The mounting means include an elastic ring adapted to clip elastically into a groove on the front face of the fixed member.
The elastic ring incorporates longitudinal slots to increase its elasticity.
The elastic ring is made of an insulative material or a conductive material and the conductive material cooperates with an electrical conductor on the outside surface of said fixed member, in particular when said conductors take the form of conductive layers covering all or part of the outside surface of the fixed member.
The invention also provides an electrical connection device including a fixed member and a mobile member as defined hereinabove and the mobile member clips onto the front face of the fixed member.
The invention further provides an electronic device incorporating a fixed member as defined hereinabove.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4590337 (1986-05-01), Engelmore
patent: 4932882 (1990-06-01), Kang
patent: 5082448 (1992-01-01), Kang
patent: 5352122 (1994-10-01), Speyer et al.
patent: 5551882 (1996-09-01), Whiteman et al.
patent: 5704792 (1998-01-01), Sobhani
patent: 1 414 008 (1965-01-01), None
patent: 2 280 715 (1995-04-01), None
Alcatel
Ta Tho D.
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