GB2414603A

GB2414603A - Electro-magentically operated contact in connector

Info

Publication number: GB2414603A
Application number: GB0411839A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christian Schnabel
Original assignee: Motorola Inc
Current assignee: Motorola Solutions Inc
Priority date: 2004-05-27
Filing date: 2004-05-27
Publication date: 2005-11-30
Anticipated expiration: 2024-05-27
Also published as: GB2414603B; GB0411839D0

Abstract

An electrical coupling 100 comprises connectors 101 each with a contact 107, 111. One of the contacts 111 is movable by an electro-magnet to contact the other 107. The connectors may have a plurality of contacts 107, 111. One 111 of each pair of contacts 107,111 is movable and the other 107 is not. The movable contacts 111 may be independently movable. A pair of movable contacts may have oppositely-polarised electro-magnets.

Description

241 4603 Title: ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR DEVICES

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to electrical connector devices. In particular, the invention relates to electrical connectors which include conductors which may be selectively joined to or released from one another.

Background of the Invention

In several applications conventional connectors are available for making mechanical and electrical connections between conductors but these have disadvantages.

For example, devices used in robotic applications usually have to be recharged periodically. A problem may exist in making a reliable connection to the charger. A high pressure connection may be needed to make a reliable connection. This may be undesirable. Further, conventional connectors cannot be remotely controlled or manipulated in applications where humans are not allowed access.

In another application, it may be important not to allow connections to be dismantled or released without authorization. Conventional connectors do not allow this.

Summary of the invention

According to the present invention there is provided an electrical connector device adapted to connect together electrical conductors, the connector device including a first member which is electrically conducting and magnetic and a second member which is adapted to make connection to the first member and is electrically conducting and magnetic, wherein at least one of the first and second members comprises an electromagnet and the connector device includes means for applying an energising electrical current to the electromagnet to control a strength of magnetic attraction between the first and second members, the first and second members being bonded to one another when an energizing current is flowing and selectively releasable from one another when the current to the electromagnet is not flowing.

The first and second members may conveniently comprise elongate pins.

Each of the first and second members may include an elongate region of material having an electrical conductivity greater than the remainder of the member.

The material of greater conductivity may be a non ferromagnetic material. The elongate region may comprise one or more internal strips. Alternatively, or in addition, the elongate region may comprise a surface coating. The material of greater conductivity may be any well known highly conducting material, e.g. it may comprise copper, gold or silver.

In the connector device according to the invention each of the first and second members may comprise an electromagnet.

A connector device according to a particular form of the present invention may include a plurality of the first members and a plurality of the second members forming pairs of the first and second members, wherein the first and second members of each pair are selectively bondable to one another and selectively releasable from one another depending on whether electric current to a corresponding electromagnet of each pair is applied at an energizing level or alternatively removed or reduced.

The connector device according to the particular form may include a housing adapted to allow the first and second members to contact one another. The first member of each pair may be releasable from the housing whereas the second member of each pair is fixed in the housing.

Alternatively, the second member of each pair, in addition to or instead of the first member, may be releasable from the housing.

In another particular form of the connector device according to the invention, the polarity of the magnetization of the first and second members in a first pair may be reversed from that of the first and second members of an adjacent second pair to assist fitting of the members of the pairs together. One of the pairs of the adjacent first and second members may be an outer pair in a set of pairs.

In the connector device according to the invention the (or each) first member and the (or each) second member may be releasable from one another by a switch operable by a signal from a control device requiring entry of a code by an authorized user.

Beneficially, the connector device according to the invention provides an electrical and mechanical connection between members such as pins which is secure and selectively releasable, only when a user is authorized to release the connection.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Brief Description of the accompanying drawings

FIG. 1 is a plan view, partly in schematic circuit form, of a connector assembly embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of circuit for selectively controlling energisation of electromagnets in the assembly of FIG 1.

Detailed description of embodiments of the invention IN FIG. 1 a connector assembly 100 in a housing 101 is shown. The assembly includes a series of individual connectors 102.1, 102.2, 102.3, 102.4 and 102.5 to provide electrical and mechanical connection between each of a first series of conducting wires or cables 103.1, 103.2, 103.3, 103.4 and 103.5 cables and each of a second series of conducting wires or cables 105.1, 105.2, 105.3, 105.4 and 105.5. The connectors 102.1, 102.2, 102.3, 102.4 and 102.5 include respectively first pins 107.1 107.2, 107.3, 107.4 and 107.5 made of magnetic conducting material and second pins 109.1, 109.2, 109.3, 109.4 and 109.5 made of magnetic conducting material. Each of the first pins 107.1 eta makes contact at its inner end with a corresponding one of the second pins 109.1 etc at its inner end. Each of the first pins 107.1 eta and each of the second pins 109.1 eta may optionally include complementary formations (not shown) which facilitate mechanical interlocking between the pins of the series first pins 107.1 eta and the pins of the series of second pins 109.1 etc. Alternatively, or in addition, the pins of the series of first pins 107.1 etc and/or the pins of the series of second pins 109.1 eta may be guided to suitable locations where they contact one another by guiding channels (not shown) in the construction of the housing 101.

Each of the pins of the series of first pins 109.1 eta carries an electromagnet. Thus the pin 109.1 has an electromagnet 111.1, the pin 109. 2 has an electromagnet 111.2, and so on. Each electromagnet 111 comprises a magnetic core 113 and a coil 115 wound on the core 113.

Thus, the electromagnet 111.1 comprises a core 113.1 and a coil 115.1, the electromagnet 111.2 comprises a core 113.2 and a coil 115.2, and so on.

Each of the second pins 109.1 eta is electrically insulated from the corresponding coil 115.1 etc. This may be effected by providing insulating coating material on the respective pin 109.1, the respective coil 115.1 or both.

Each of the first pins 107.1 eta and each of the second pins 109.1 etc preferably has an inner or outer region of highly conducting material extending lengthwise along the pin to improve current flow and reduce resistance in the pin. The region may for example be one or more inner wires extending along the pin, e.g. inside the structure of the pin, and/or one or more coatings added to the outer surface of the pin, e.g. by plating.

The highly conducting material may comprise copper or more preferably silver or gold.

In use, the strength of connection between each of the first pins 107.1 eta and its corresponding one of the second pins 109.1 etc is determined by whether or not energizing electrical current is applied to the conductor forming the corresponding coil 115.1 etc. Thus taking the pins 107.1 and 109.1 as an example, the magnetization of the pin 109.1 is strong when an energizing current is applied to the coil 115.1 but weak when the energising current is released. Thus to bind the pin 107.1 to the pin 109.1, the current is applied to the coil 115.1, but when the pin 107.1 needs to be released from the pin 109.1 the current is released from the coil 115.1. In practice, one series of the pins, say the first pins 107.1 etc. may be releasable, e.g. by hand of a user or by use of a controlled machine implement, when the current is released on the corresponding coil, whereas the other series of pins, say the second pins 109.1 etc may be fixed in the housing 101. Alternatively, pins of both sets may be releasable. Where the second pins 109.1 eta are releasable, the electromagnets may be released with them or may be fixed in position.

It is to be noted that the polarity of the magnetization of the outer pins of the series, namely the pin 107.1 and the pin 109.1 and the pin 107.5 and the pin 109.5, is reversed from that of the corresponding adjacent inner pins of the series, namely the pin 107.2 and the pin 109.2, the pin 107.3 and the pin 109.3 and the pin 107.4 and the pin 109.4. The benefit of this is that each of the outer first pins 107.1 and 109.1 will more easily find its corresponding second pin, i.e. 109.1 or 109.5, after it has been released and is being returned to complete its connector 102.1 or 102.5.

The coils 115.1 eta may be electrically energized together as shown in FIG. 1 or they may be energised via separate circuits, i.e. so that the applied current to each coil 115.1 eta may be switched on and off selectively. For this purpose, the switch(es) to the energising circuit(s) may be available to a user in a control unit, e.g. forming part of an instrumentation panel. In order to prevent unauthorized release of a pin, use of the switch(es) may be regulated by a controller device which requires the user to enter a PIN or other identification code to operate the switch(es). This is illustrated in FIG. 2 which shows an arrangement 200. A series 201 of switches 201.1, 201.2, 201.3, 201.4, and 201.5 is shown. Each switch 201.1 etc has a first output conductor leading to a respective coil (not shown) similar to the coils 115.1 eta shown in FIG. 1 and a second conductor connected to a current supply 203. Each of the switches is individually controllable by a signal from controller 205 which a user is allowed to operate by entry of a PIN (personal identification number) in an entry pad (not shown) of the controller 205. Thus by the user applying suitable inputs at the controller 205 each of the switches 201.1 eta may be selected to supply or not supply current to the corresponding coil to energise or not energise the associated electromagnet in the manner described with reference to FIG. 1 as selected.

In the embodiment of the invention described above with reference to FIG. 1, one series of the connecting pins, namely the first pins 107.1 eta is passive whereas the second pins 109.2 eta are active, i.e. strongly magnetised or not depending on whether an energising electric current is applied to the corresponding coil 115. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, both series of the connecting pins, i.e the first pins 107.1 etc and the second pins 109.1 etc. may be active.

The connector assembly 100 shown in FIG.1 may be used in any application in which strong and secure but selectively releasable connections are needed between individual pairs of electrical conductors to be connected together.

Claims

Claims 1. An electrical connector device adapted to connect together

electrical conductors, the connector device including a first member which is electrically conducting and magnetic and a second member which is adapted to make connection to the first member and is electrically conducting and magnetic, wherein at least one of the first and second members comprises an electromagnet and the connector device includes means for applying an electrical current to the electromagnet to control a strength of magnetic attraction between the first and second members, the first and second members being bonded to one another when an energising current is flowing at an energising level and selectively releasable from one another when the current to the electromagnet is removed or reduced.
2. A connector device according to claim 1 wherein the first and second members are elongate pins.
3. A connector device according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each of the first and second members includes an elongate region of material having a conductivity greater than the remainder of the member.
4. A connector device according to claim 3 wherein the elongate region comprises one or more internal strips.
5. A connector device according to claim 3 or claim 4 wherein the elongate region comprises a surface coating.
6. A connector device according to any one of claims 3 to 5 wherein the material of greater conductivity comprises copper, gold or silver.

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7. A connector device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the first and second members of each pair of first and second members comprises an electromagnet.
8. A connector device according to any one preceding claim which includes a plurality of the first members and a plurality of the second members forming pairs of the first and second members, wherein the first and second members of each pair are selectively bondable to one another and selectively releasable from one another depending on whether electric current to a corresponding electromagnet of each pair is applied at an energising level or alternatively removed or reduced.
9. A connector device according to claim 8 including a housing adapted to allow the first and second members to contact one another.
10. A connector device according to claim 9 wherein the first member of each pair is releasable from the housing whereas the second member of each pair is fixed in the housing.
11. A connector device according to claim 9 or claim wherein the second member of each pair is releasable from the housing.
12. A connector device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the first and second members of each pair of first and second members comprises an electromagnet.
13. A connector device according to any one of claims 8 to 12 wherein the polarity of the magnetization of a first pair of the first and second members is reversed from that of the first and second members of an adjacent pale.
14. A connector device according to claim 13 wherein one of the pairs of the first and second members is an outer pair in a set of pairs.
15. A connector device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the or each first member and the or each second member are releasable from one another by a switch operable by a signal from a control device requiring entry of a code by an authorised user.
16. A connector device according to any one of the preceding claims and substantially as described herein with reference to FIG. 1 or FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 of the accompanying drawings.