|Publication number||US7264510 B2|
|Application number||US 11/259,535|
|Publication date||Sep 4, 2007|
|Filing date||Oct 25, 2005|
|Priority date||Aug 19, 2003|
|Also published as||CN1906815A, CN101615738A, CN101615742A, EP1661212A2, EP1661212A4, US7117590, US7144268, US7179113, US7198502, US7258566, US20050042911, US20060035504, US20060035505, US20060035506, US20060040542, US20060252307, WO2005020374A2, WO2005020374A3|
|Publication number||11259535, 259535, US 7264510 B2, US 7264510B2, US-B2-7264510, US7264510 B2, US7264510B2|
|Inventors||Robert B. Koenig, William Wekell|
|Original Assignee||Spacelabs Medical, Inc.|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (49), Referenced by (17), Classifications (14), Legal Events (9)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application No. 10/644,608, filed Aug. 19, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,268.
This invention generally relates to an apparatus and method for coupling electrical devices, and more particularly, to a socket connector for coupling electrical plugs to sockets mounted on circuit boards or ends of connection cables.
With the increase in computing power experienced over the last decade, it is now common for individuals and businesses to possess computers capable of performing a wide range of data collection and analysis. Owners of such computers can capture this computing power by coupling many different devices to the computer. This is especially the case with medical diagnostic equipment. Using an available computer, doctors, nurses and support staff can economically collect and tabulate a multitude of different types of medical information, limited only by the different devices which can be interfaced with the computer. For example, when a patient's pulse is desired, a pulse oximeter may be fitted to the patient and the data it collects sent to the computer for translation and processing. Additionally, depending on the computing power available, it may also be possible to simultaneously collect and manipulate other data, such as a patient's blood oxygen content, respiration rate or body temperature, with a variety of other devices, each having a uniquely configured plug corresponding to a uniquely configured socket disposed on the computer. The coupling and decoupling of these devices to the computer exacts a large commitment of time and effort from users who must painstakingly match plugs with corresponding sockets. This situation is exacerbated when a patient's condition changes and new devices must quickly be coupled to the computer, or when a new patient is added to the computer and a new array of devices must be quickly coupled to the computer.
Several options currently exist to help medical staff quickly couple and decouple devices to a computer. One such option is shown in
The negative keyway 125 has a large shortcoming, however, in that it is of no value in preventing the cross connection of plugs unless it is used in conjunction with sockets having positive keyways. For example, in the description given above, if the socket has no positive keyway it will mate with the plug 100 regardless of the size and location of the negative keyway 125 present on the plug 100.
Another method in which a socket can be readily indicated as compatible with a certain plug is through color coding. Using such a method, compatible plugs and sockets are created to be the same color, enabling users to quickly and easily couple plugs to corresponding sockets by matching their colors. This system is not fail-safe however, and it can be rendered useless by low light situations and scenarios in which users are unable to physically see both the plug and socket (such as when the socket is backed up against a wall adjacent to the computer, or the socket is in a hard to see location).
Still looking at
A prior art improvement over plug 100 will now be discussed by referring to
Again referring to
When coupled, a portion of the plug body 239 extends out of the socket to an extent that sections of the latches 210 are readily accessible to the user. Additionally, as the latch pawl 230 couples with the catching device 222, the latch 210 snaps out of the free space 238 creating both an audible report and a vibratory indication to the user that the plug 200 has become coupled to the socket.
In order to reverse this process and release the latch 210 from the catching device 222, the user squeezes the accessible portions of the latches 210 toward the plug body 239. This moves the pawls 230 relative to the plug body 239, displacing them into the free space 238. When enough force is applied by the user, the rear vertical surfaces 242 of the pawls 230 clear the vertical faces 240 of the catching devices 222, and the plug 200 may be moved in a direction opposite to direction 233 and be decoupled from the socket.
Latches 210 are somewhat difficult to use however, since their cantilever configuration leaves them especially susceptible to entanglement with objects or wires small enough to fit into the free space 238. Additionally, the shape of the pawl 230 itself encourages snagging and entanglement with a wide variety of different materials. Such snagging problems can result in damage to the objects which become entangled, as well as deformation or destruction of the latches 210 themselves.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a plug with a robust latching mechanism that resists snags. Moreover, there is a need in the art for a socket connector in which a variety of plugs may be quickly and easily coupled to proper corresponding sockets by a user.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for coupling electrical devices through utilization of a socket connector to couple electrical plugs to sockets, which may be mounted on a circuit board. Alternatively, the socket may be positioned on an end of a connecting cable. The socket connector may be secured to the circuit board by a plurality of locking legs disposed on the connector which include anchor pawls operable to fit through openings in the circuit board and secure the legs from being decoupled from the circuit board. The socket connector also includes at least one socket operable to receive an electrical plug, a socket silo and a rolling latch on the plug.
The socket can also include a plurality of pawl receiving chambers sized and configured to receive a pawl disposed on a latch on the plug. Each pawl receiving chamber may further include an angled receiving wall operable to engage a surface on the pawl when the plug is coupled to the socket, the slope of the angled wall being proportionate to the pullout force required to withdraw the pawl from the receiving chamber and decouple the plug from the socket. The socket may also include a positive keyway configured to fit within a corresponding negative keyway on a plug to be coupled with the socket.
The silo may contain a tower having a beveled outer receiving surface including at least one socket for receiving a conductive pin. An electrical conductor disposed on the inside of the socket extends from at least about four millimeters below the outer receiving surface to beyond the bottom surface of the support shelf and may be electrically coupled with the conductive pin. The silo may also include a support shelf on which the tower is disposed and at least one leg on a bottom surface of the support shelf. An open gallery operable to hold a planar filter array can be created by the intersection of the bottom surface of the support shelf and the at least one leg.
The plug includes a fuselage having a beveled face from which at least one conductive pin extends. The plug and its beveled face are configured to mate with the silo tower and its beveled outer receiving surface. Rolling latches are disposed on a hinged section of the plug with the latches being disposed above a longitudinal centerline of a thickness of the plug. The latches include pawls operable to fit within the pawl receiving chambers in the socket and couple the plug to the socket. The entire latch and hinged section may rotate into a recessed section on an inside of the plug from an extended to a retracted position. A locking portion on the pawl may be angled to customize a pullout force required to withdraw the plug from the socket.
The present invention is generally directed to an apparatus for coupling electronic devices to one another. Many of the specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and in
The multi-contact connector 300 may be coupled to a circuit board 330 by a plurality of stabilizing posts 332 extending into holes 334 in the circuit board 330. Additionally, a plurality of locking legs 336 extend from the multi-contact connector 300 through holes 338 in the circuit board 330. Each locking leg 336 is inserted through a corresponding hole 338 by pressing the outside surface 342 of the locking leg 336 towards the body 344 of the multi-contact connector 300 and inserting a pawl 346 located at the end of the leg 336 all the way through the hole 338. Once the pawl 346 is through the hole 338, the outside surface 342 of the leg 336 is released, resulting in a rebound of the leg 336 toward its original position relative to the body 344 of the multi-contact connector 300. During this rebound, the outside surface 342 of the leg comes to rest snugly against an inside wall of the hole 338. In this rest position, the pawl 346 extends away from the outside surface 342 of the leg 336 along the bottom side 347 of the circuit board 330. When legs 336 on opposing sides of the multi-contact connector 300 are positioned in holes 338 in the circuit board 330 such that their outside surfaces 342 are snugly in contact with inside walls of holes 338, the positioning of the pawls 346 creates an effective block to the removal of the multi-contact connector 300 from the circuit board 330.
Aside from the locking legs 336 and the stabilizing posts 332, the rest of the multi-contact connector 300 need not rest directly on the circuit board 330. Rather, the underside 350 of the multi-contact connector 300 may rest on support shelves 355 b–d located on socket silos 360 b–d. No silo is included in socket 302 a in the interest of graphic clarity.
The silo 360 shown in
Still referring to
The intersection of the legs 416 with the lower surface 405 of the support shelf 355 creates an open gallery 420. The open gallery 420 can act as a receptacle in which various active or passive signal filtering options may be placed.
Positioning pegs 510 may be disposed on the planar filter array 500 and used to attach it to corresponding holes or circuit bonding pads in the circuit board 330 or lower surface 405 of the support shelf 355 (
In order to mate the pin holder portion 600 to the silo 360, the receiving end 605 of the pin holder portion 600 is placed over the beveled outer receiving surface 401 of the silo 360 and the pin holder portion 600 is moved in a direction 610 toward the support shelf 355 of the silo 360. An outer sheath 615 of the pin holder portion 600 surrounds the tower 410 of the silo 360, with the inside surface 620 of the sheath 615 being configured to conform to the contours of the outer surface 412 of the tower 410. Sometimes, due to factors such as manufacturing errors, differential thermal expansion of the silo 360 and the plug 310, or differential wear on the silo 360 and the plug 310, the inside surface 620 of the sheath 615 does not conform to the contours of the outer surface 412 of the tower 410. In such a scenario there is an amount of play between the tower 410 and the plug 310 which makes centering the tower 410 difficult and jeopardizes the coupling of the pins 602 into the sockets 402. The play also allows movement between the pin holder portion 600 and silo 360 after coupling, which can weaken both the sockets 402 and their conductors, as well as damaging the pins 602 and potentially also compromising the connection of the conductors to the circuit board.
This movement due to play between the tower 410 and plug 310 is ameliorated by the beveled outer receiving surface 401 on the tower 410, which fits snugly into a corresponding beveled coupling surface 630 disposed on the inside of the pin holder portion 600. In addition to limiting relative movement between the pin holder portion 600 and the tower 410, the matching beveled surfaces 401, 630 also enable the pin holder portion 600 to be easily centered during the mating process described above, maximizing the snugness of the fit between the pin holder portion 600 and the tower 410, and ensuring clean contact between the pins 602 and the corresponding conductors in sockets 402. This decreases the chances of pins 602 missing sockets 402 when the pin holder portion 600 is pressed into contact with the tower 410, which in turn decreases the wear on the pins 602 and the sockets 402.
The matching beveled surfaces 401, 630 are also advantageous because of their ability to prevent the use of devices ill-suited for a given socket. For example, when an attempt is made to mate an incorrect device having a standard prior art plug with a flat inner base 112 (
The negative keyway 704 is uniquely positioned on the outer surface 708 of the pin holder portion 600 to coincide with a corresponding positive keyway 710 c (
The relationship between the negative keyway 704 formed on the pin holder portion 600 and the positive keyway 710 c formed on the socket 302 c is important for several reasons. First, the compatibility of a plug 310 with a socket 302 can be dictated by the placement of the positive keyway 710 c on the socket 302. Thus the positive keyway 710 c prevents cross connecting of plugs ill-suited to be coupled with the socket 302 c. Looking at
One skilled in the art will also recognize that positive keyways 710 having different lengths and widths can also be used to block certain plugs from mating with certain sockets 302. In such a case, even correctly situated negative keyways 704 will be ill-suited for mating unless they have a length and width 706 great enough to accept the corresponding length and width 706 of a positive keyway 710. One advantage of this technique, however, is that plugs with wide or multiple negative keyways 704 will be compatible with any socket 302 having a narrower, or single positive keyway 710, thus producing various subgroups. In particular, it is possible to use patterns of multiple keyways to form families of compatible connectors. For example, with three keyway locations located on each of the top and bottom surfaces of a connector and designated A, B and C and D, E and F, respectively, a connector having twin negative keyways corresponding to the A and C positions, and another connector having twin negative keyways C and E may be inserted into compatible sockets having identical keyway configurations, and would also be accepted into a connector having a positive keyway at the C position. Thus, many different twin negative connectors may be accommodated by a single connector having a fixed configuration to yield a universal connector having a single positive keyway. Of course, the single positive keyway configuration would still not compatibly mate with other connectors having a more restrictive keyway configuration, such as a connector having two positive keyways.
Another benefit of the positive and negative keyways 710, 704 is their stabilizing influence against relative motion between a plug 310 and socket 302 when they are mated together. In one embodiment of the invention, the positive keyway 710 fits snugly within the negative keyway 704, thus obstructing any rotation or sliding of the plug 310 while it is within the socket 302. In addition, the placement of each positive keyway 710 acts as a visual indication of the compatibility of a plug 310 with a socket 302 in which the positive keyway 710 is found. In order to quickly determine the correct orientation of the plug 310 relative to the socket 302, the user needs only to match the side of the plug 310 having the negative keyway 704 with the side of the socket having the positive keyway 710.
Another technique to aid users in quickly identifying compatible plugs 310 and sockets 302 is the color coding of compatible components. In one embodiment of the invention, as shown in both
The pin holder portion 600 is coupled to the latch holder portion 752 by inserting the back end 754 of the pin holder portion 600 through an opening defined by a mating face 757 of the latch holder 752, and pressing the holders 600 and 752 together so that the latches 702 slide along support shelves 758 formed on the pin holder 600, until the mating face 757 contacts a mating ridge 759 on the pin holder portion 600. As shown in
When the assembly of the plug 310 is completed, the portions of the pins 602 extending beyond the rear face 755 are coupled to individual wires in a cord 756 (
Still referring to
The latches 702 in
Of additional importance to the functioning of the latches 702 is the placement of the latches 702 and the recessed sections 776 above the centerlines b—b and a—a of the pin holder and latch holder portions 600, 752, respectively. Placing the latches 702 and the recessed portions 776 above the plug centerline is superior to the placement of conventional latches at the plug centerline, since the latches 702 are better able to support the weight, and thus counteract the moment of a cord hanging from a plug to which the latches 702 are attached. As best shown in
Further discussion of the function of the latches 702 will now be illustrated by referring to
The insertion of the plug 310 into the socket 302 c is blocked, however, when the latches 702 are in the extended position by pawls 769 which contact the upper surface 778 of the connector 300. Depending on the blocking effect desired, the pawls 769 may be designed so that the upper surface 778 contacts an angled receiving portion 779 or a flat front portion 780 (
When the upper surface 778 of the connector 300 contacts the angled receiving portion 779 the force required to insert the plug 310 will vary in proportion to the slope of the angled receiving portion 779. For example, if the angled receiving portion 779 makes a 45 degree angle with the flat front portion 780, the force required to insert the plug 310 (and thus instigate rotation of the latch 702 into the recessed section 776) will be less than if the slope of the angled receiving portion 779 makes a 20 degree angle with the flat front portion 780. In an extreme, if the angle formed between the receiving portion 779 and the upper surface 778 is zero, the receiving portion 779 will be parallel to the flat front portion 780, and it will fully block the insertion of the pawl 769 into the socket 302 c. Thus, a designer may vary the force required to insert a plug 310 by varying the slope of the angled receiving portion 779.
Still referring to
As the upper surface 778 contacts the pullout face 783, the latch 702 begins rebounding out of the recessed section 776 and rotates toward its extended position. This rotation quickly comes to fruition when the trailing edge 784 of the pullout face 783 clears a corner 787 c on the inside wall of the socket 302 c and begins sliding along an angled receiving wall 788 c of the pawl receiving chamber 790 c. For graphic clarity, no plugs 310 have been drawn in sockets 302 a, 302 b and 302 d, enabling a clear view of pawl receiving chambers 790 a, 790 d with structures similar to the pawl receiving chamber 790 c.
As the plug 310 is inserted farther into the socket 302 c, and the pullout face 783 slides down the receiving wall 788 c towards a rear wall 792 c of the receiving chamber 790 c, the latch 702 continues its rotation out of the cutaway section 776 (
The inclusion of the cambered section 781 on the pawl 769 acts as an important additional safety mechanism to guard against the insertion of ill-suited devices into the socket 302 c. As the latch 702 rotates from an extended position to a recessed position, the top edge 796 of the pawl 769 swings through a wider arc than the lower end 798 of the pawl 769. As a result, the top edge 796 swings farther into the recessed section 776 (
In addition, the cambered section 781 results in a reduced and more uniform spreading of surface wear on both the pawl 769 and the upper surface 778 as the pawl 769 is inserted and withdrawn from the socket 302 c. This is in contrast to the high localized surface wear that would occur at a protruding corner on the pawl 769 which would exist if the cambered section 781 was not formed in the pawl, as well as the increased wear on the upper surface 778 contacting the corner during insertion and retraction of the pawl 769 from the socket 302 c.
When a user inserts the plug 310 into the socket 302 c, the motion of the pawl 769 and the latch 702 to which it is attached produces an audible and vibratory report as the trailing edge 784 of the pawl 769 clears corner 787 c and hits the angled receiving wall 788 c as the latch 702 rotates from a retracted to an extended position. This snap gives instant feedback to the user that the plug 310 has become coupled to the socket 302 c.
Once coupled, the plug 310 is held snugly in the socket 302 c by a combination of factors, including: (1) the shape of the plug body 725 being matched with the socket's shape; (2) the trailing edges 784 and pullout faces 783 of the latches 702 exerting force against the angled receiving walls 788 c, and the top surfaces 793 of the pawls 769 resting against the side walls of the receiving chambers 792 c; and (3) the receiving end 605 of the plug 310 resting on the surface of the floor 888 of the socket 302 c (as shown in
Alternately, the angled receiving wall 788 c may be designed to require a predetermined amount of force to effect the uncoupling of the plug 310 from the socket 302 c. If the angled receiving wall 788 c is horizontal, similar to the upper surface 778 of the connector 300 as shown in
Similarly, the pullout faces 783 of the latches 702 may also be engineered to customize the pullout force required to decouple the plug 310 from the socket 302. In order to effect a lesser pullout force, pullout face 783 must be angled away from the steep locking portion 785. In contrast, to effect the maximum pullout force, the pullout face 783 must be made parallel to the steep locking portion 785.
One skilled in the art will readily recognize that it is also possible to vary the pullout force needed to decouple a plug 310 from a socket by varying the slopes of both the pullout face 783 of the pawl 769 and the angled receiving wall 788 c of the connector 300. By having the ability to vary the pullout force of a plug 310, sensitive devices connected to those plugs 310 can be protected from snagging forces by lowering their respective pullout force threshold level such that the plugs 310 decouple quickly upon being snagged by a object moving relative to them. In contrast, more robust devices, or devices which must stay coupled during use, can have plugs and sockets designed with higher required pull out forces. In either case, the ability to engineer the pullout force exists for any plug 310 or socket 302, and as a result, designers need not rely solely on frictional forces between the pins 602 and silos 360 for retention of a plug 310 in a socket 302. Thus, through the fabrication steps discussed above the pullout force may be engineered to be the same for a plug 310 regardless of whether it is fully populated or only partially populated with pins 602.
The above description of illustrated embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. While specific embodiments of, and examples of, the invention are described in the foregoing for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Moreover, the various embodiments described above may be combined to provide further embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the disclosure, but instead the scope of the invention is to be determined entirely by the following claims.
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|U.S. Classification||439/620.14, 439/374, 439/682|
|International Classification||H01R13/66, H01R13/627|
|Cooperative Classification||Y10T29/49139, Y10T29/49169, Y10T29/49153, Y10T29/49147, Y10T29/49117, H01R13/6271, H01R13/6273|
|European Classification||H01R13/627B, H01R13/627B2|
|Mar 6, 2007||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: SPACELABS MEDICAL, INC., WASHINGTON
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:DATEX OHMEDA, INC.;REEL/FRAME:018968/0828
Effective date: 20060928
|Aug 13, 2007||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: WACHOVIA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS ADMINISTRA
Free format text: NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:SPACELABS HEALTHCARE, LLC;REEL/FRAME:019679/0424
Effective date: 20070727
|Jun 20, 2008||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: SPACELABS HEALTHCARE, LLC, WASHINGTON
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:SAPCELABS MEDICAL, INC.;REEL/FRAME:021127/0623
Effective date: 20080619
|Oct 15, 2008||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: SPACELABS MEDICAL, INC., WASHINGTON
Free format text: NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT;ASSIGNORS:KOENIG, ROBERT B.;WEKELL, WILLIAM;REEL/FRAME:021679/0634;SIGNINGDATES FROM 20080912 TO 20081014
|Oct 19, 2010||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS ADMINIS
Free format text: NOTICE OF GRANT OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS;ASSIGNOR:SPACELABS HEALTHCARE, LLC;REEL/FRAME:025150/0956
Effective date: 20070727
|Oct 21, 2010||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: SPACELABS HEALTHCARE, LLC, WASHINGTON
Free format text: TERMINATION OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS;ASSIGNOR:WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, SUCCESSOR-BY-MERGER TO WACHOVIA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT;REEL/FRAME:025169/0269
Effective date: 20101015
|Apr 11, 2011||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
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Effective date: 20110904