EP0450909B1 - Connecteur réversible - Google Patents

Connecteur réversible Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0450909B1
EP0450909B1 EP91302868A EP91302868A EP0450909B1 EP 0450909 B1 EP0450909 B1 EP 0450909B1 EP 91302868 A EP91302868 A EP 91302868A EP 91302868 A EP91302868 A EP 91302868A EP 0450909 B1 EP0450909 B1 EP 0450909B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
coupling
latch
coupling member
contacts
coupling members
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP91302868A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0450909A1 (fr
Inventor
James Brownlow Lebaron
David Otis Gallusser
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Amphenol Corp
Original Assignee
Amphenol Corp
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Amphenol Corp filed Critical Amphenol Corp
Publication of EP0450909A1 publication Critical patent/EP0450909A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0450909B1 publication Critical patent/EP0450909B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R24/00—Two-part coupling devices, or either of their cooperating parts, characterised by their overall structure
    • H01R24/84—Hermaphroditic coupling devices
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R24/00—Two-part coupling devices, or either of their cooperating parts, characterised by their overall structure
    • H01R24/38—Two-part coupling devices, or either of their cooperating parts, characterised by their overall structure having concentrically or coaxially arranged contacts
    • H01R24/40—Two-part coupling devices, or either of their cooperating parts, characterised by their overall structure having concentrically or coaxially arranged contacts specially adapted for high frequency
    • H01R24/56—Two-part coupling devices, or either of their cooperating parts, characterised by their overall structure having concentrically or coaxially arranged contacts specially adapted for high frequency specially adapted to a specific shape of cables, e.g. corrugated cables, twisted pair cables, cables with two screens or hollow cables

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a coupling arrangement for releasably latching together two parts of a cable contact connector assembly, said coupling arrangement comprising; two coupling members each including a latching arm having a latch ramp surface formed thereon and locking ramp means for sliding engagement, in a direction substantially circumferential with respect to an axis of said cable contact connector assembly, with a latch ramp surface formed on a latching arm of the other said coupling member; detent means being provided on said locking ramp means for retaining said latch ramp surface adjacent said locking ramp means when said latch ramp surface engages said locking ramp means on rotation of said coupling members relative to one another about said axis of said connector assembly.
  • pin and socket contact permits connection of two cables by simply sliding a pin on one cable into a socket on the other.
  • pin and socket contact One type of widely used pin and socket contact, is the "twinax" contact which is used to connect cables carrying two electrical wires surrounded by a common jacket.
  • latching mechanism Because it is desirable to design such contacts to be as simple as possible, many of the conventional pin and socket contact arrangements lack any sort of latching mechanism. This is completely satisfactory for uses in which no strain is placed on the cables in a direction which would cause the contacts to be pulled apart. However, for many applications, some type of latching mechanism is required in order to prevent the contacts from pulling apart. The most common means of providing this latching mechanism is by trapping the contact inside an elaborate connector. The connector then provides the mating and unmating mechanism as well as the latching mechanism.
  • hermaphroditic or sexless coupling mechanisms are known. Nevertheless, hermaphroditic coupling mechanisms which may be easily retrofitted onto conventional contacts have so far not been developed, thus limiting application of the known hermaphroditic couplers.
  • each of said coupling members has a central bore in which are retaining means comprising an elastically deformable surface of said bore which slopes radially inwards and ends in an elastically deformable detent for retaining the coupling member on a respective part of the connector assembly, said retaining means being elastically deformable to allow said detent to pass over a radially outwardly projecting collar formed on said connector part during insertion of the connector part into the coupling member so as to engage said collar after movement of said detent over said collar to secure said coupling member to said connector part.
  • the coupling members are easily retrofitted onto respective contacts by a ramp and detent mechanism provided in an inner bore of the coupler.
  • the contact is inserted into the bore until a collar on the contact passes over the detent and is retained thereby.
  • Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a mated coupler and twinax contact pair according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 2 is an isometric view of one of the couplers of the pair shown in Figure 1.
  • Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a coupling mechanism for coupling two cable contacts and locking them against disengagement according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
  • the contacts illustrated are "twinax" contacts, one of which is a pin and the other a socket, it will be appreciated that any of a large variety of cable contacts, including power coaxial and triaxial contacts, may be used with the coupler mechanism of the invention.
  • twinax contact pin 1 slides into twinax contact socket 2 to effect an electrical connection between two twin axial cables (not shown).
  • the manner in which the contacts are connected to the cables is conventional and forms no part of the invention.
  • the pin 1 and socket 2 would be free to disengage from each other because they do not include an internal latching mechanism, other than the resilience of the tines 3 which form part of socket 2.
  • the coupler mechanism of the invention is intended to prevent such disengagement, and may be used with any contact mechanism which might otherwise be disengageable under tension.
  • FIG 2 is a perspective view of coupling member 5, which is identical in structure to coupling member 4.
  • Coupling member 5 is generally cylindrical in shape, the axis of the cylinder coinciding with principal axis 14 of the two contacts 1 and 2 as shown in Figure 1.
  • the coupling member shown in Figure 2 includes two latch arms extending from a main body 9 of the coupling member, and two locking ramp surfaces provided on a collar 18 which extends generally around main body 9. Because the coupling member has a 180 degree mirror symmetry, i.e., the coupler member will always appear identical when rotated 180 degrees, only one of the latch arms and one of the locking arms ramps is described in detail. Elements having primed reference numerals (e.g., latch arm 7′ and groove 24′) are identical to corresponding unprimed elements (e.g., latch arm 7 and groove 24).
  • Latch arm 7 includes a latch arm ramp surface 11 which is engageable with a complementary ramp surface 21 on the corresponding mating coupling member 4 and which faces an interface portion 20 of coupler member 5.
  • Interface 20 is an annular surface surrounding the bore 26 through which the contacts are inserted.
  • Ramp surface 11 is provided on a radially inward extending projection 13 at the distal end of latch arm 7.
  • a corresponding latch arm 6 including projection 12 and ramp surface 10 is provided on coupler member 4 and is engageable with ramp surface 21 on coupler member 5.
  • Interface surface 20 faces a corresponding interface surface 19 when the two coupling members 4 and 5 are joined as shown in Figure 1. Although illustrated as being slightly apart after coupling, it is also contemplated that the coupling members may contact each other, or contact each other during coupling and then separate.
  • Locking ramp surface 21 faces away from interface surface 20 and is provided on collar 18, best shown in Figure 2.
  • a detent 22 on each of the ramp surfaces provides the means by which coupled coupler member 4 and 5 are coupled, as will be described in more detail below.
  • Collar 18 includes a latch bypass groove 24 which permits corresponding projection 12 of latch arm 6 on coupler member 4 to be inserted through the collar.
  • Groove 24 must be wide enough to permit passage of the corresponding latch arm 6 and ramp 10 on the mating coupling member 4, and must be positioned such that complementary locking latches will not interfere with each other when the coupling members 4 and 5 are united.
  • collar 18 extends around main body 9 and therefore includes a second, mirror symmetric, groove 24′, and that coupler member 4 is provided with identical grooves provided in collar 17.
  • bypass groove 24 be located adjacent a locking latch arm as shown. However, this is not essential as long as it is possible for the corresponding latch arm 6 on coupler 4 to bypass collar 18 and engage locking ramp surface 21 provided on the collar.
  • Ramp surface 21 generally slopes away from the mating interface in the direction in which the corresponding coupling member 4 will be turned during the latching process.
  • the locking direction for member 5 shall be counter-clockwise as indicated by arrows 35, although a clockwise locking direction could easily be obtained by locating bypass groove 24 adjacent the other of the locking latches 7′and by sloping the ramp surface 11 in a direction opposite the direction shown.
  • detent 22 is designed so that latch arm ramp surface 10 on latch arm 6 of member 4 will pass over the detent and engage ramp surface 21 upon coupling, detent 22 preventing backwards rotational movement of member 4 upon engagement. The operation of the coupling mechanism will be described more fully below.
  • interface surfaces 19 and 20 between the coupling members 4 and 5 preferably each includes a groove for retaining o-rings 38 and 27 which effect an environmental seal between the coupled unit formed by members 4 and 5. It will of course be appreciated that other environmental sealing arrangements will also occur to those skilled in the art.
  • o-rings 38 and 27 may provide resilience in order to bias the latch arm ramp surfaces against respective locking ramp surfaces.
  • the latch arms or the detents may be formed of a plastically deformable material such that the material deforms as the latching ramp surfaces ride over the detents during coupling, the restoring force of the material causing the detents to regain their shape in order to retain the latch arms in place.
  • coupling members 4 and 5 preferably also include a contact snap retention feature.
  • a ramp and a detent are located on the inner surface of bores 26 and 46 in each of members 4 and 5 through which the contacts are separately inserted.
  • Contacts 1 and 2 are provided in this embodiment with annular collars 28 and 31. During separate insertion of the contacts into bore 26 and 46, the collars press against respective ramp surfaces 29 and 32, which plastically deform until the collars pass detents 30 and 33, at which time the ramps and detents are restored to their original positions, holding the collars in place against annular shoulders 40 and 41.
  • the contacts may be retained within the coupling members by any of a variety of suitable contact retention mechanisms, and also that retention may be obtained without any additional means provided on the members, for example by an interference fit.
  • grooves 36 and 39 are provided in the main bodies 8 and 9 of each coupling member for holding seals 34 and 37, preferably o-rings, between the respective contacts and bodies to seal the rear of each coupling member.
  • Coupling numbers 4 and 5 are first respectively secured on pin 1 and socket 2 by inserting the respective contacts through bores 26 and 46 until collars 28 and 31 pass detents 30 and 33, which plastically deform as the collars pass the detents, after which the time the ramps and detents are restored to their original position, holding the collars in place against annular shoulders 40 and 41.
  • the respective coupling members must be inserted over the cables or secured to their contacts before the cables are connected thereto.
  • the order of the ramps, detents and annular shoulders those skilled in the art will recognize that it would then be possible to slide the coupling member over contact from the leading portion of the contact rather than from the cable side of the contact, thus permitting the coupling member to be added after the contact had already been secured to the cable.
  • the coupling members Once the coupling members have been snap-locked onto the respective contacts, they are coupled by initially aligning respective latch arms with respective grooves on the complimentary locking members. The pin and socket are slid together as the aligned latch arms are inserted through the grooves. The coupling members 4 and 5 are then rotated in a counter-clockwise direction relative to each other in the preferred embodiment, so that the latch arm ramp surfaces ride up over the groove curved surfaces, over the detents, and onto the locking ramp surfaces, at which point the coupling members are locked together preventing disengagement of the contacts.
  • each coupling member while desirable, is not essential.
  • the invention would work with a single latch arm or with, for example, three latch arms and locking ramps having a 120 degree symmetry.

Landscapes

  • Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
  • Dental Preparations (AREA)
  • Measurement And Recording Of Electrical Phenomena And Electrical Characteristics Of The Living Body (AREA)
  • Inks, Pencil-Leads, Or Crayons (AREA)
  • Polyesters Or Polycarbonates (AREA)
  • Developing Agents For Electrophotography (AREA)
  • Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
  • Nitrogen And Oxygen Or Sulfur-Condensed Heterocyclic Ring Systems (AREA)
  • Saccharide Compounds (AREA)
  • Pens And Brushes (AREA)
  • Snaps, Bayonet Connections, Set Pins, And Snap Rings (AREA)
  • Connection Of Plates (AREA)

Claims (10)

  1. Agencement d'accouplement pour verrouiller simultanément, de façon libérable, deux parties d'un ensemble connecteur pour contacts de câble, ledit agencement d'accouplement comprenant :
       deux éléments d'accouplement (4) comprenant chacun un bras de verrouillage (6) ayant une surface de rampe de verrouillage (10) formée dessus, et des moyens formant rampe de verrouillage (21) pour venir en contact de façon glissante, dans une direction pratiquement circonférentielle par rapport à un axe (14) dudit ensemble connecteur pour contacts de câble, avec une surface de rampe de verrouillage formée sur un bras de verrouillage (6) de l'autre dit élément d'accouplement (4),
       des moyens formant cliquet (22) étant prévus sur lesdit moyens formant rampe de verrouillage pour maintenir ladite surface de rampe de verrouillage adjacente auxdits moyens formant rampe de verrouillage quand lesdites surfaces de rampe de verrouillage viennent en prise avec lesdits moyens formant rampe de verrouillage lors de la rotation desdits éléments d'accouplement l'un par rapport à l'autre autour dudit axe dudit ensemble connecteur ;
       caractérisé en ce que chacun desdits éléments d'accouplement (4) comporte un alésage central (26, 46) dans lequel se trouvent des moyens de maintien comprenant une surface déformable de façon élastique (29, 32) dudit alésage, qui s'incline radialement vers l'intérieur et se termine en un cliquet déformable de façon élastique (30, 33) pour maintenir l'élément d'accouplement sur une partie respective de l'ensemble connecteur, lesdits moyens de maintien étant déformables de façon élastique pour permettre audit cliquet de passer au-dessus d'un collier faisant saillie radialement vers l'extérieur, formé sur ladite partie de connecteur, pendant l'insertion de la partie de connecteur dans l'élément d'accouplement, de manière à mettre en prise ledit collier après déplacement dudit cliquet au-dessus dudit collier afin de fixer ledit élément d'accouplement à ladite partie de connecteur.
  2. Dispositif selon la revendication 1, dans lequel ledit bras de verrouillage comprend un bras s'étendant depuis un corps principal (8) de l'élément d'accouplement, globalement dans une direction parallèle audit axe, une extrémité distale (12) dudit bras formant une saillie qui s'étend radialement vers l'intérieur par rapport audit axe, ladite surface de rampe de bras de verrouillage comprenant une surface deladite saillie qui fait face à une interface entre lesdits éléments d'accouplement, et lesdits moyens formant rampe de verrouillage comprenant une surface de rampe de verrouillage qui s'étend autour d'une périphérie de l'élément d'accouplement et fait face de l'autre côté de ladite interface.
  3. Dispositif selon la revendication 1 ou la revendication 2, dans lequel chaque élément d'accouplement comprend, de plus, un second bras de verrouillage (7) et un second moyen formant rampe de verrouillage (15), dans lequel lesdits second bras de verrouillage et second moyen formant rampe de verrouillage sont identiques auxdit premier bras de verrouillage et premier moyen formant rampe de verrouillage et sont symétriques autour dudit axe par rapport à ceux-ci.
  4. Dispositif selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel lesdits premier et second éléments d'accouplement sont identiques l'un à l'autre.
  5. Dispositif selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel au moins un des éléments d'accouplement comprend des moyens (27, 38) pour fixer de manière étanche par rapport à l'environnement lesdits éléments d'accouplement ensemble lors de l'accouplement.
  6. Dispositif selon la revendication 5, comprenant une rainure centrée axialement (36, 39) dans une surface de chaque élément d'accouplement pour maintenir un joint torique (34, 37) entre l'élément d'accouplement et une partie de connecteur sur laquelle il est, en service, fixé.
  7. Dispositif selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans lequel lesdits contacts comprennent une broche (1) et une douille (2).
  8. Dispositif selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 6, dans lequel lesdits contacts sont des contacts à deux axes.
  9. Procédé d'accouplement des deux parties d'un ensemble connecteur pour contacts de câble ayant, sur chacune desdites deux parties, des contacts pouvant venir en prise mutuellement avec les contacts de l'autre partie dudit ensemble, le procédé étant caractérisé en ce que
       un élément d'accouplement selon l'une quelconque des revendications 1 à 8 est introduit par encliquetage sur chacune des deux parties dudit ensemble connecteur pour contacts de câble ;
       les contacts desdites deux partie dudit ensemble viennent en prise l'une avec l'autre pour connecter lesdites deux parties dudit ensemble ; et
       les surfaces de rampe de verrouillage de chacun desdits éléments d'accouplement sont amenées en prise avec les moyens formant rampe de verrouillage de l'autre desdits éléments d'accouplement en faisant tourner les éléments d'accouplement l'un par rapport à l'autre pour verrouiller ensemble les deux parties de l'ensemble connecteur pour contacts de câble contre un déplacement axial relatif de celles-ci.
  10. Procédé selon la revendication 9, dans lequel les éléments d'accouplement sont tournés jusqu'à 75° l'un par rapport à l'autre en verrouillant ensemble les parties d'ensemble connecteur pour contacts de câble.
EP91302868A 1990-04-02 1991-04-02 Connecteur réversible Expired - Lifetime EP0450909B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US50269390A 1990-04-02 1990-04-02
US502693 1995-07-14

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0450909A1 EP0450909A1 (fr) 1991-10-09
EP0450909B1 true EP0450909B1 (fr) 1995-11-29

Family

ID=23998965

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP91302868A Expired - Lifetime EP0450909B1 (fr) 1990-04-02 1991-04-02 Connecteur réversible

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0450909B1 (fr)
AT (1) ATE130969T1 (fr)
DE (1) DE69114888T2 (fr)
DK (1) DK0450909T3 (fr)
ES (1) ES2080892T3 (fr)
GR (1) GR3018656T3 (fr)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
NL9202302A (nl) * 1992-12-31 1994-07-18 Du Pont Nederland Koaxiaal interkonnektiesysteem.
DK0875959T3 (da) * 1997-04-30 2001-02-26 Interlemo Holding Sa Stikforbindelsessystem
US6227895B1 (en) 1997-04-30 2001-05-08 Intertemo Holding S.A. Connector system
FR2765034A1 (fr) * 1997-06-19 1998-12-24 Framatome Connectors France Mecanisme de verrouillage hermaphrodite
GB2326538A (en) * 1997-06-20 1998-12-23 Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd Bayonet connector
FR2782197B1 (fr) * 1998-08-06 2000-11-03 Sercel Rech Const Elect Dispositif hermaphrodite de connexion electrique
DE102017118251A1 (de) 2017-08-10 2019-02-14 Airbus Operations Gmbh Kopplungselement und Kopplungssystem sowie Verfahren zum Koppeln von zwei Modulen und Luftfahrzeug

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3252124A (en) * 1961-03-10 1966-05-17 Wago Klemmenwerk G M B H Push-in connector
AT313404B (de) * 1970-03-31 1974-02-25 Staff & Schwarz Gmbh Elektrische Kupplung zum Verbinden elektrischer Leitungen
DE3485315D1 (de) * 1983-07-15 1992-01-16 Sumitomo Wiring Systems Wasserdichter verbinder.
DE3810209A1 (de) * 1988-03-25 1989-10-05 Grote & Hartmann Elektrischer steckverbinder

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0450909A1 (fr) 1991-10-09
GR3018656T3 (en) 1996-04-30
DE69114888D1 (de) 1996-01-11
DE69114888T2 (de) 1996-04-18
DK0450909T3 (da) 1996-02-26
ES2080892T3 (es) 1996-02-16
ATE130969T1 (de) 1995-12-15

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