STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable to this application.

BACKGROUND

Field

Example embodiments in general relate to a magnetic latching connector for making electrical connections. More particularly, example embodiments relate to a magnetic latching connector of the type having multiple male pins and female sockets adapted for making electrical connections in a variety of medical and other applications.

Related Art

Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

Electrical connectors for connecting power, data and/or other electrical signals between a source and devices or equipment are well known and ubiquitous. More particularly, connectors that simultaneously provide multiple electrical connections using coupled male and female components are well known. For example, some such connectors employ a plurality of electrically conductive pins in a male component and a corresponding plurality of electrically conductive sockets or receptacles in a female component. Typically, although not necessarily, an insulated cable or cord carries a plurality of power and/or signal wires, each of which may also be insulated, from a source to the non-connecting or back side of either a male or female component, where the individual wires are electrically connected to pins or receptacles. Similarly, a corresponding plurality of power and/or signal wires are electrically connected to corresponding pins or receptacles on the back or non-connecting side of the corresponding male or female component, and an insulated cable or cord carries the plurality of power and/or signal wires to the device or equipment to be electrically connected with the source. Multiple electrical connections between a source and a device or piece of equipment can then be made substantially simultaneously by coupling the male and female components such that the pins of the male component are inserted into and make electrical contact with the corresponding sockets or receptacles of the female component. Numerous variations of multi-pin connectors are produced by companies like Winchester Electronics, Amphenol, Molex, and others. One multi-pin connector having spring-loaded pins is known as a “Pogo”® connector and is produced by Everett Charles Technologies.

Many such connectors exhibit certain problems and shortcomings. For example, misalignment of the pins and corresponding sockets can result in damage to the pins and/or sockets, resulting in failure of the electrical connections, and even permanent damage to the connector. Connectors with large numbers of pins and corresponding sockets and/or where the pins and corresponding sockets are small and delicate are particularly prone to this problem. One way this problem can arise is when the male and female components are decoupled forcefully and out of proper alignment. Such decoupling may occur either intentionally through carelessness, or accidentally, such as from someone tripping over a cable or cord. Because the pins of the male component are designed to be directly inserted into and removed from the sockets of the female component in the axial direction of the pins and sockets, rather than at an angle, removal of the pins at an angle can cause bending and misalignment of the pins as well as damage to the sockets. Once the pins become bent and/or misaligned with the sockets, a subsequent attempt to couple the male and female components can cause the pins to become further bent or even broken, resulting in failure to make the intended electrical connections, and potentially permanent damage to the connector.

Another problem with the known multi-pin connectors is that the electrical connections between individual pins and corresponding sockets can become loosened. For example, over time and after multiple insertions and retractions, the pins, the sockets, or both can wear, resulting in the physical connection between pins and sockets becoming loosened. Alternatively, or in addition, damage to either pins or sockets can result in loosened connections. A loosened physical connection can manifest itself as an intermittent electrical connection, particularly in instances in which the connector is subject to vibration or other relative movement between the male and female components.

One potential solution to the foregoing problems has been to provide one or more semi-permanent fasteners on the male and female connectors. For example, some multi-pin connectors, such as certain D-sub connectors, have been fitted with a threaded fastener, such as a machine screw, on an exterior stub or flange of one of the male and female components, and a corresponding threaded socket on an exterior stub or flange of the other component. With the corresponding male and female components coupled, the fasteners are engaged to hold the connectors together semi-permanently. Other similar approaches have included providing the male and female components with bayonet-type fasteners, snap fittings, and the like.

However, the foregoing approaches create additional problems. In some applications, it may be desirable for the corresponding male and female connectors to be securely coupled so as to maintain a reliable electrical connection but not to be fixedly coupled, even temporarily and reversibly. For example, in certain medical and other environments it may be desirable for the corresponding male and female components to maintain a secure and reliable electrical connection but to readily separate if a certain amount of force is applied. Thus, for example, if a patient or visitor were to trip over or pull a cable or wire connected to medical monitoring or treatment equipment, it would be more desirable for the male and female components to separate than for a cable or cord to be forcefully ripped from the equipment, which could potentially cause substantial and costly damage to the equipment, or even cause the equipment to fall or be upended and possibly injure a patient or visitor.

One approach tried in the past with respect to certain Pogo-type connectors has been to incorporate magnetic material in the exposed opposing faces of corresponding male and female components. In this approach, the coupling of the male and female components is supposedly aided by the attraction force of the magnetic materials without the use of permanent or semi-permanent fasteners as described above. However, this approach also has a number of potential problems. First, the pins in the male Pogo connector component are spring biased to help make secure contact with corresponding receptacles in the female Pogo connector component. The spring force is directed outwardly from the male connector in the direction of the female connector, which is opposite to the attraction force of the magnets. Some embodiments therefore may require a substantial amount of magnetic force to overcome the opposing force of the springs. An insufficient magnetic attraction force could be overcome by the opposing force of the springs and result in the same problems as if no magnets were present. In contrast, a magnetic attraction force greater than necessary to overcome the spring force could result in the connector failing to decouple, and failing to prevent a cable or cord from being forcibly removed from equipment, potentially resulting in damage to the equipment and/or injury, as described above. Second, incorporating magnetic materials that produce a magnetic attraction force strong enough to overcome the spring force could create a magnetic field strong enough to interfere with electrical signals transiting the connector. This is highly undesirable in some applications, such as some medical applications, where the affected signals could represent critical data, such as EKG readings or the like. Third, because the magnetic materials are exposed to the surrounding environment when the male and female components are not coupled, the magnetic materials could be damaged or could become covered or coated with a substance that reduces the magnetic attraction force and thus prevents the male and female components from coupling securely.

There thus remains a need in a variety of medical and other applications for a multi-pin electrical connector in which male and female connector components may be securely coupled to maintain reliable electrical connections without the use of permanent or semi-permanent fasteners. There also remains a need for such a connector in which the male and female connectors are operative to decouple in response to a certain amount of force to prevent potential damage to equipment to which the electrical connector is coupling cables or cords and/or injury. There also remains a need for such a connector which can employ magnetic latching without the problems of the known magnetic latching Pogo-type connectors.

The example embodiments of a magnetic latching connector disclosed herein are directed to addressing the foregoing needs and the foregoing and other problems of the prior art.

SUMMARY

An example embodiment is directed to a magnetic latching connector. The example magnetic latching connector includes a male connector component and a corresponding female connector component adapted to be coupled to make a plurality of electrical connections. The male connector component comprises a male coupling having a plurality of outwardly extending electrically conductive pins and an outwardly extending male magnetic latching element recessed within the male coupling. The female connector component comprises a female coupling having a plurality of electrically conductive sockets adapted to receive the pins of the male coupling and a recessed receptacle containing a female magnetic latching element adapted to receive the male magnetic latching element. The male and female magnetic latching elements provide a predetermined attractive magnetic force to assist maintaining the male and female in a coupled state. The male coupling and female coupling each have a back end adapted to make electrical connections with multiple wires of respective electrical cables. The male and female connector components also comprise housings adapted to receive and enclose the back end and wire connections of the male and female couplings respectively.

Example embodiments incorporate various arrangements of pins, sockets, and magnetic latching elements. Example embodiments include keying features that limit male and female connector components to coupling in only one predetermined orientation. An example embodiment incorporates a connector component adapted for mounting in a cabinet or body of a device or piece of equipment.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the example embodiments of the magnetic latching connector in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional embodiments of the magnetic latching connector that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the magnetic latching connector in detail, it is to be understood that the magnetic latching connector is not limited in its application to the details of construction or to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The magnetic latching connector is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.

