Magnetic connector

• US 7,331,793 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hernandez, Edwin A., Tracy, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THANH TAM T
• Application Number:
  US11/305,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20070141860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 439/38, 439/39, 439/950
• US Class Current: 439/38
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 11/30 End pieces held in contact by a magnet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/95 Electrical connector adapted to transmit electricity to mating connector without physical contact, e.g. by induction, magnetism, or electrostatic field

Abstract

A connector (30) can include a housing (32), a plurality of magnets (14) within the housing used for data transfer and at least one alignment magnet (16 or 18) within the housing used for proper alignment and polarity. The connector can also include at least one magnetic induction circuit (52) coupled to at least one of the plurality of magnets. The plurality of magnets can include a plurality of inductor elements or micro-metric inductor elements. The magnetic induction circuit can be a magnetic induction circuit using Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying modulation. A connector (64) can further include an inductive coil (67) operating at a lower frequency than the at least one magnetic induction circuit. The inductive coil can enable contact less energy transfer from the connector to an energy storage device (69) operatively coupled to an electronic product (62).

Claims

1. A connector, comprising:

a housing;

a plurality of magnets within the housing used for data transfer;

at least one alignment magnet within the housing used for alignment and polarity,

at least one magnetic induction circuit coupled to at least one of the plurality of magnets; and

an inductive coil operating at a lower frequency than the at least one magnetic induction circuit to enable contactless energy transfer from the connector to an energy storage device operatively coupled to an electronic product;

wherein the plurality of magnets or the at least one alignment magnet is further used for power transfer.

2. The connector of claim 1, wherein the plurality of magnets include a plurality of inductor elements or a plurality of micro-inductor elements.

3. The connector of claim 1, wherein the at least one magnetic induction circuit comprises a magnetic induction circuit using Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying modulation.

4. The connector of claim 1, wherein the plurality of magnets are completely covered by the housing to provide an environmentally sealed connector.

5. The connector of claim 1, wherein the plurality of magnets remains partially externally exposed while remaining within the housing.

6. The connector of claim 1, wherein the connector further uses a sensor for detecting a coupling of the at least one alignment magnet with a corresponding magnet in an electronic product that couples with the connector.

7. The connector of claim 6, wherein the connector further comprises a metal core attracted to an electromagnet activated by the coupling of the at least one alignment magnet with the corresponding magnet in the electronic product.

8. The connector of claim 1, wherein the at least one alignment magnet is a permanent magnet.

9. A magnetic connector system, comprising:

a connector having a housing;

a plurality of magnets within the housing used for data transfer;

at least one alignment magnet within the housing used for alignment and polarity,

wherein the plurality of magnets or the at least one alignment magnet is further used for power transfer using at least one magnetic induction circuit coupled to at least one of the plurality of magnets; and

wherein an inductive coil operating at a lower frequency than the at least one magnetic induction circuit enables contact less energy transfer from the connector to an energy storage device operatively coupled to an electronic product.

10. The magnetic connector system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of magnets comprises a plurality of inductor elements.

11. The magnetic connector system of claim 10, wherein the at least one magnetic induction circuit comprises a magnetic induction circuit using Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying modulation.

12. The magnetic connector system of claim 10, wherein the connector is an environmentally sealed connector and further comprises an inductive coil operating at a lower frequency than the at least one magnetic induction circuit to enable contact less energy transfer from the connector to an energy storage device operatively coupled to an electronic product.

13. The magnetic connector system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of magnets include a plurality of micro-metric inductor elements.

14. The magnetic connector system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of magnets are completely covered by the housing to provide an environmentally sealed connector.

15. The magnetic connector system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of magnets remains partially externally exposed while remaining within the housing enabling either a direct electronic coupling or a magnetic inductive coupling between the plurality of magnets and a corresponding plurality of magnets in an electronic product that mates with the connector.

16. The magnetic connector system of claim 9, wherein the connector further uses a sensor in an electronic product that mates with the connector for detecting a coupling of the at least one alignment magnet with a corresponding magnet in the electronic product.

17. The magnetic connector system of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises an electronic product having a port with a plurality of corresponding magnetic elements that communicate either inductively or electrically with the plurality of magnets in the connector.

18. An electronic product, comprising:

a data communication and power charging port within a housing;

a plurality of magnets within the housing used for data transfer;

at least one alignment magnet within the housing used for alignment and polarity;

at least one magnetic induction circuit coupled to at least one of the plurality of magnets; and

an inductive coil operating at a lower frequency than the at least one magnetic induction circuit to enable contact less energy transfer from the connector to an energy storage device operatively coupled to an electronic product;

wherein the at least one alignment magnet is further used for power transfer.