Alignment and connection for devices
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsBrett Bilbrey, Aleksandar Pance, Peter Arnold, David I. Simon, Jean Lee, Michael D. Hillman, Gregory L. Tice, Vijay Iyer, Bradley Spare
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A plug or connector including a coded magnet and an electrical contact. As the plug approaches a corresponding port, the coded magnet interacts with a magnet within the port. The interaction between the plug coded magnet and the port coded magnet provides a force to connect and/or align the plug with the port. Once the plug is received within the port, if a process is completed, the coded magnets polarities are altered to eject the plug from the port.
Claims29
A plug for connecting a first device to a second device comprising:
- a first electrical contact;
- a first coded magnet that interacts with a first device coded magnet of the second device according to a dynamically programmable force curve, the first coded magnet comprising a plurality of magnetic elements;
- wherein
- a polarity of each of the plurality of magnetic elements is individually dynamically controllable;
- and
- at least one of the plurality of magnetic elements is operable to alter polarity to repulse the first device coded magnet away from the first coded magnet.
A method for ejecting a plug from a port of an electronic device, the port having a first port coded magnet comprising:
- receiving a plug with a first plug coded magnet and a first contact into the port;
- activating by the electronic device a first process and electronically communicating with the first contact of the plug;
- determining whether the first process is complete;
- and
- if the first process is complete, altering a force curve of the first port coded magnet to repel the first plug coded magnet and at least partially eject the plug from the port.
An electronic device comprising:
- a port that receives a cable and including a first programmable magnet having a plurality of magnetic elements and a port maxel pattern, a polarity of each of the plurality of magnetic elements being individually dynamically controllable;
- wherein
- if the cable has a complementary cable maxel pattern to the port maxel pattern, the port accepts the cable;
- if the cable has a non-complementary cable maxel pattern to the port maxel pattern, the port rejects the cable;
- and
- at least one of the plurality of magnetic elements is operable to alter polarity to repulse the cable away from the port.
A cable for communicating between a first electronic device and a second electronic device comprising:
- a first electrical contact;
- and
- a first programmable magnet with a dynamically programmable force curve, the first programmable magnet including a plurality of magnetic elements wherein a polarity of each of the plurality of magnetic elements is individually dynamically controllable;
- wherein at least one of the plurality of magnetic elements is operable to alter polarity to repulse a second magnet away from the first programmable magnet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.