Electrical connector with power plug and power socket

[0001] 1. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to electrical connectors, and particularly, to an electrical connector with a power plug and a power socket.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] A power wire is used for connecting an electronic device and a power supply, such that the electronic device is powered by the power supply. The power wire generally has a first plug and a second plug on opposite ends thereof, and the first plug and the second plug are exposed to the outside environment without any protective sleeve. However, when the first plug is connected to the power supply, and the second plug is not connected to anything, electricity from the power supply may pass to the outside via the second plug. Under damp or in certain other conditions, or by simple mishandling, accidents caused by electric shock may occur.

[0005] Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

[0014] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment of an electrical connector 300 includes a power plug 100 and a power socket 600. In use, the power socket 600 is positioned on an electronic device (not shown), and the power plug 100 is electrically connected to a power wire (not shown) which is connected to a power supply (not shown).

[0015] Referring to FIGS. 3 through 5, the power plug 100 includes a housing 10, two magnetic members 20, two resilient pieces 30, two plug contacts 40, and a conductive member 50. It should be understood that, the power plug 100 may include three or more plug contacts 40, and correspondingly, the power plug 100 would have three or more magnetic members 20 and three or more resilient pieces 30.

[0016] The housing 10 includes a main body 11 and a cover 15 connected to the main body 11. The main body 11 and the cover 15 are made of insulating materials, such as plastic. The main body 11 includes a circular connecting portion 113, a frame portion 115, and a positioning protrusion 117. The connecting portion 113 includes a first surface 1131 and a second surface 1135 opposite to the first surface 1131. An assembly hole 1137 is substantially formed at the center of the first surface 1131. The frame portion 115 is formed on the first surface 1131 and surrounds the assembly hole 1137. The frame portion 115 and the connecting portion 113 cooperatively define a receiving groove 1150 for receiving the magnetic member 20, the resilient pieces 30, and the plug contacts 40. In the illustrated embodiment, the frame portion 115 is substantially rectangular, and includes two linear first side walls 1151 parallel to each other, and curved second side walls 1153 connecting the two first side walls 1151. One first side wall 1151 defines two positioning cutouts 1155, and the opposite surfaces of each positioning cutout 1155 define a plurality of restricting grooves 1157. The positioning protrusion 117 is cylindrical, and formed on the second surface 1135. The positioning protrusion 117 is aligned with the assembly hole 1137. The cover 15 is substantially rectangular, and positioned on the frame portion 115 to seal the magnetic member 20, the resilient piece 30, and the plug contacts 40 in the receiving groove 1150. In the illustrated embodiment, the cover 15 forms a flange 151 to engage with the frame portion 115, thereby positioning the cover 15 on the frame portion 115.

[0017] Each magnetic member 20 is a rectangular magnet in this embodiment. The magnetic members 20 are received in the receiving groove 1150.

[0018] The resilient pieces 30 are made of conductive materials, and in this embodiment, the resilient pieces 30 are shaped strips of copper. Each resilient piece 30 includes a first plate 31 and a second plate 35 slanting upward from an end of the first plate 31. Each resilient piece 30 has a first connecting end 311 at the lower end thereof, and a second connecting end 351 extending from the higher end of the second plate 35. The two resilient pieces 30 are parallel, and are adhered to the connecting portion 113, with each second connecting end 351 attached to the top of a magnetic member 20. The resilient pieces 30 may be fixed to the connecting portion 113 via a plurality of fasteners, such as screws.

[0019] Each plug contact 40 is made of conductive material(s), and in this embodiment, the plug contact 40 is a shaped piece of copper. The two plug contacts 40 are positioned in the positioning cutouts 1155 of the frame portion 115. Each plug contact 40 includes an engaging portion 41, a contact portion 43, and a stepped portion 45. The engaging portion 41 is substantially rectangular. The contact portion 43 and the stepped portion 45 extend from opposite ends of the engaging portion 41, and the width of the contact portion 43 or the stepped portion 45 is smaller than that of the engaging portion 41. The engaging portion 41 is engaged in the restricting grooves 1157 of the frame portion 115. The stepped portion 45 is substantially in the shape of the letter “Z”. The stepped portion 45 is partially positioned above the connecting end 351 of the resilient piece 30, and is not in contact with the connecting end 351.

[0020] The conductive member 50 includes a casing 51 and two conductive wires 53 exiting together from the casing 51. The casing 51 is substantially cylindrical, and extends through the assembly hole 1137 of the main body 11 and the positioning protrusion 117. The casing 51 is electrically connected to the power supply. Each conductive wire 53 is soldered to a first connecting end 311.

[0021] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the power socket 600 is affixed to the electronic device, and used together with the power plug 100. The power socket 600 includes a housing 60, two socket contacts 70, two conductive poles 80, and two metal pieces 90. The socket contacts 70, the conductive poles 80, and the metal pieces 90 are positioned in the housing 60. The power socket 600 may include three or more socket contacts 70, and the power socket 600 would have three or more corresponding metal pieces 90.

[0022] The housing 60 is made of insulating material, and includes an outer housing 62 and an inner housing 64 positioned in the outer housing 62. The outer housing 62 is substantially rectangular, and defines a circular groove 622 in the center portion thereof. The outer housing 62 further defines two through holes 624 in the bottom wall of the circular groove 622. The inner housing 64 is circular, and positioned in the circular groove 622. The inner housing 64 includes an engaging portion 644, a first support portion 646 and a second support portion 648. The first support portion 646 and the second support portion 648 are extended from opposite sides of the engaging portion 644. The engaging portion 644, the first support portion 646 and the second support portions 648 cooperatively define an assembly groove 649 for receiving the power plug 100. The first support portion 646 defines two L-shaped positioning grooves 6466 located opposite to the second support portions 648 for receiving the socket contacts 70.

[0023] Each socket contact 70 is made of conductive material(s), and in this embodiment, the plug contact 40 is a shaped piece of copper, that is substantially L-shaped. Each socket contact 70 includes a first contact portion 71 and a second contact portion 73 substantially perpendicular to the first contact portion 71. The socket contacts 70 are positioned in the positioning grooves 6466 of the first support portion 646, respectively.

[0024] The conductive poles 80 are substantially cylindrical. The conductive poles 80 extend through the through holes 624 of the outer housing 62, and are then connected to the electronic device. The conductive poles 80 are also electrically connected to the socket contacts 70. In the illustrated embodiment, the conductive poles 80 are soldered to the socket contacts 70.

[0025] Each metal piece 90 is a rectangular piece of iron in this embodiment. The metal pieces 90 are fixed to the engaging portion 644, and adjacent to the positioning grooves 6466. In the illustrated embodiment, the metal pieces 90 are attached to the engaging portion 644 by adhesive.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1 through 7, when the power plug 100 is not inserted into the power socket 600, the resilient pieces 30 are not in contact with the plug contacts 40. As a result, the electrical potential from the power supply can have no path to discharge electric power to the outside via the plug contacts 40. That is, if a user had touched the plug contacts 40 by accident, the user would not be in danger from electric shock by the electricity from the power supply even in damp or humid conditions. When the power plug 100 is inserted into the power socket 600, the frame portion 115 is sleeved on the engaging portion 644, and then the contact portions 43 of the plug contacts 40 are attached to the socket contacts 70. After that, the magnetic members 20 located opposite to the metal pieces 90 exert a magnetic force on the metal pieces 90 to attract the second connecting ends 351, such that the plug contacts 40 are only then electrically connected to the conductive member 50. As a result, the power plug 100 is electrically connected to the power socket 600.

[0027] The plug contacts 40 of the power plug 100 are exposed to the outside, and the plug contacts 40 have no electrical connection with the power supply when the power plug 100 is not inserted into the power socket 600. Therefore, a leakage of electricity cannot occur in the plug contacts 40. Only when the power plug 100 is coupled to the power socket 600, would the plug contacts 40 to be automatically electrically connect to the resilient pieces 30, due to the magnetic force between the magnetic member 20 and the metal pieces 90.

[0028] While the present disclosure has been described with reference to particular embodiments, the description is illustrative of the disclosure and is not to be construed as limiting the disclosure. Therefore, various modifications can be made to the embodiments by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the disclosure, as defined by the appended claims.