Detachable communications connector for vehicle stores and method therefor

• US 10,312,631 B1
• Filed: 02/20/2018
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Eveker, James V, Keller, Cory G, Martinez, Alberto A
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilman, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US15/900,039
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 439 39
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5219 Sealing means between coupling parts, e.g. interfacial seal
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6205 Two-part coupling devices held in engagement by a magnet
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6315 allowing relative movement between coupling parts, e.g. floating connection for coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, H01R12/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 27/02 for simultaneous co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/26 for engaging or disengaging the two parts of a coupling device structural association with two-part coupling device H01R13/629

Abstract

A communications connector for a vehicle store, the communications connector includes a receptacle interface plate, and a communications receptacle configured for coupling with an umbilical lanyard plug of a host vehicle, the communications receptacle having at least one magnetic member configured to couple the communications receptacle to the receptacle interface plate so that the communications receptacle is decoupled from the receptacle interface plate upon release of the vehicle store from the host vehicle.

Claims

1. A communications connector for a vehicle store, the communications connector comprising:

a vehicle store receptacle interface plate; and

a vehicle store communications receptacle configured for coupling with an umbilical lanyard plug of a host vehicle, the vehicle store communications receptacle having at least one magnetic member configured to couple the vehicle store communications receptacle to the vehicle store receptacle interface plate so that the vehicle store communications receptacle is decoupled from the vehicle store receptacle interface plate upon release of the vehicle store from the host vehicle.

2. The communications connector of claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle store receptacle interface plate includes at least one surface communication contactor;

the vehicle store communications receptacle including a housing having at least one mating surface communication contactor disposed at least partially within the housing, the at least one magnetic member being coupled to the housing so as to circumferentially surround the at least one mating surface communication contactor.

3. The communication connector of claim 2, wherein one or more of the at least one surface communication contactor and the at least one mating surface communication contactor is a biased contactor so that when the vehicle store communications receptacle is coupled to the vehicle store receptacle interface plate the at least one surface communication contactor and the at least one mating surface communication contactor are in biased communicative contact.

4. The communications connector of claim 2, wherein the housing further includes a seal member that circumferentially surrounds the at least one mating surface communication contactor.

5. The communications connector of claim 2, wherein the housing is configured to shield the at least one surface communication contactor and the at least one mating surface communication contactor from electromagnetic effects of the at least one magnetic member.

6. The communications connector of claim 2, further comprising:

a resilient coating disposed on the at least one magnetic member, where the resilient coating seals an interface between the vehicle store receptacle interface plate and the vehicle store communications receptacle; and

at least one standoff disposed between the housing and the vehicle store receptacle interface plate, the at least one standoff defines an air gap between the at least one magnetic member and a coupling surface of the receptacle interface plate, where a release force between the at least one magnetic member and the coupling surface of the vehicle store receptacle interface plate depends on the air gap.

7. The communications connector of claim 2, wherein:

the vehicle store receptacle interface plate includes at least one recess or aperture, and

the housing includes at least one protrusion configured to couple with the at least one recess or aperture where coupling of the at least one protrusion with the at least one recess or aperture aligns the at least one surface communication contactor with the at least one mating surface communication contactor and prevents rotation of the vehicle store communications receptacle relative to the receptacle interface plate.

8. The communications connector of claim 2, wherein the housing defines an air gap between the at least one magnetic member and a coupling surface of the vehicle store receptacle interface plate, where a release force between the at least one magnetic member and the coupling surface of the vehicle store receptacle interface plate depends on the air gap.

9. The communications connector of claim 1, further comprising a coating disposed on the at least one magnetic member, where the coating defines an air gap between the at least one magnetic member and a coupling surface of the vehicle store receptacle interface plate, where a release force between the at least one magnetic member and the coupling surface of the vehicle store receptacle interface plate depends on the air gap.

10. The communications connector of claim 1, wherein the vehicle store receptacle interface plate is contoured to form a portion of an aerodynamic skin of the vehicle store.

11. A vehicle store comprising:

a communications connector including

a receptacle interface plate, and

a communications receptacle configured for coupling with an umbilical lanyard plug of a host vehicle, the communications receptacle having at least one magnetic member configured to couple the communications receptacle to the receptacle interface plate so that the communications receptacle is decoupled from the receptacle interface plate upon release of the vehicle store from the host vehicle.

12. The vehicle store of claim 11, wherein:

the receptacle interface plate includes at least one surface communication contactor;

the communications receptacle including a housing having at least one mating surface communication contactor disposed at least partially within the housing, the at least one magnetic member being coupled to the housing so as to circumferentially surround the at least one mating surface communication contactor.

13. The vehicle store of claim 12, wherein the at least one surface communication contactor includes a communication coaxial contactor.

14. The vehicle store of claim 13, wherein the at least one mating surface communication contactor includes another communication coaxial contactor configured to communicably couple with the communication coaxial contactor of the at least one surface communication contactor.

15. The vehicle store of claim 12, wherein the housing further includes a seal member that circumferentially surrounds the at least one mating surface communication contactor.

16. The vehicle store of claim 12, wherein the housing defines an air gap between the at least one magnetic member and a coupling surface of the receptacle interface plate, where a release force between the at least one magnetic member and the coupling surface of the receptacle interface plate depends on the air gap.

17. The vehicle store of claim 11, wherein the at least one magnetic member is configured to independently generate an electromagnetic retention force between the receptacle interface plate and the at least one magnetic member.

18. A method for decoupling a communications connector of a vehicle store when the vehicle store is released from a host vehicle where the communications connector includes a receptacle interface plate and a communications receptacle, the method comprising:

decoupling the communications receptacle, that is coupled to an umbilical lanyard plug of a host vehicle, from the receptacle interface plate, that is coupled to the vehicle store;

wherein a coupling force generated between at least one magnetic member, of the communications receptacle, and the receptacle interface plate is less than a coupling force between the umbilical lanyard plug and the communications receptacle so that the umbilical lanyard plug decouples the communications receptacle from the receptacle interface plate when the vehicle store is released from the host vehicle.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising forming a portion of an aerodynamic skin of the vehicle store with the receptacle interface plate when the communications receptacle is decoupled from the receptacle interface plate.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising defining the coupling force generated between at least one magnetic member of the communications receptacle and the receptacle interface plate with an air gap disposed between the at least one magnetic member and the receptacle interface plate.