GB2224891A

GB2224891A - Means for mounting an electrical or optical connector

Info

Publication number: GB2224891A
Application number: GB8826732A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William John Gibbs; John Geoffrey Fisher
Original assignee: ITT Industries Ltd
Current assignee: ITT Industries Ltd
Priority date: 1988-11-15
Filing date: 1988-11-15
Publication date: 1990-05-16
Also published as: GB8826732D0

Abstract

An electrical connector (7) is adapted to be received in a resilient bush which is in turn received in an aperture in a panel (6). The connector is retained in the bush by engagement between a shoulder (10a) on the connector and one end of the bush and a shoulder (11) and the other end of the bush. The ends of the bush are provided with flanges (5 and 13) to retain the bush in the panel. The flange (5) is slotted so that it can be compressed inwardly to enter the aperture in the panel and opened outwardly, e.g. by an extractor tool (15, 16), to release the connector. <IMAGE>

Description

MEANS FOR MOUNTING AN ELECTRICAL OR OPTICAL CONNECTOR This invention relates to means for mounting an electrical or optical connector in an aperture in a bulkhead, panel or like member, (hereinafter termed "panel").

The invention has particular but by no means exclusive reference to means for mounting an electrical connector in an aperture in a panel, which connector is of the kind adapted to be connected to one end of a cable on one side of the panel and to present contact-engaging surfaces on the other side of the panel. A plurality of connectors of this kind may be mounted in the panel in a parallel relationship so that their respective contact-engaging surfaces can be interconnected by a rigid bridging member on the opposite side of the panel to that from which the cables extend. This arrangement is commonly used for interconnecting coaxial cables.

The means for mounting such connectors has, hitherto been relatively complicated and expensive, involving the use of spacers, nuts and washers with corresponding threaded surfaces on the connector itself. Apart from the expense of producing the separate piece parts, there is always the risk of losing them. Moreover, the use of two such mountings in conjunction with a rigid bridging member has to take into account manufacturing tolerances in the panel and the bridging member by allowing slight lateral movement of at least one of the connectors in its aperture so that the axes of the two parallel-mounted connectors can be accurately aligned with the axes of the respective portions of the bridging member.

According to the invention in its broadest aspect, there is provided means for mounting an electrical or optical connector in an aperture in a panel which means comprises a bush of resilient material releasably engageable with both the panel and the connector.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided means for mounting an electrical or optical connector in an aperture in a panel, which connector is of the kind adapted to be connected to one end of a cable on one side of the panel and to present contact-engaging or other interface surfaces on the other side of the panel, the mounting means comprising a bush of resilient material releasably engageable with both the panel and the connector.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a first embodiment of a connector mounting in the form of a bush, in use, mounting a connector in an aperture in a panel, Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the bush of Figure 1, Figure 3 is an end elevation taken from the right in Figure 2, Figure 4 is a view, similar to Figure 1, showing a second embodiment, and Figure 5 is a view, similar to Figure 1, showing a modification, applicable to both embodiments.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the mounting bush 1 is formed as a unitary moulding of resilient plastics material. It comprises two contiguous portions, a cylindrical portion 2 and an inwardlytapering frusto - conical portion 3.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the portion 3 is formed with longitudinal slots 4 whereby it can be compressed or spread apart but, when released, will spring back to the position shown. The slots need not be disposed as shown in Figure 3. The outer end of the portion 3 is provided with an outwardlydirected annular flange 5 which is, of course, also slotted. Referring specifically to Figure 1, the bush just described is shown inserted into an aperture in the form of a cylindrical bore in a panel of which part is shown at 6. The bush is obviously more easily inserted from the right hand side in Figure 1 until the rear face of the flange 5 comes into abutment with the face of the panel 6 framing the aperture. At this point, as will be seen, the left hand end of the cylindrical portion 2 of the bush will be flush with the opposite face of the panel.

A connector 7 has a left hand end 8 (as seen in Figure 1) for connection to the end of, for example, a coaxial cable (not shown). The right hand end 9 contains contact-engaging surfaces and serves as a plug for engagement with a further connector.

The connector 7 has a shoulder portion 10 adjacent its left hand end 8 and a second shoulder portion 11 adjacent its right hand end 9.

The connector is first inserted into the aperture from the left and the bush inserted between the connector and the aperture from the right (as seen in Figure 1).

When the connector is inserted in the aperture in the panel 6, the left hand shoulder portion 10 comes into abutment with the left hand face of the panel. The bush 1 is then pushed over the right hand end of the connector and into the aperture until it reaches the position shown in Figure 1. By this time, the right hand end of the bush which was sprung apart as the bush was pushed over the connector, is able to spring back into its normal position and an inner annular retaining surface 12 thus engages behind the right hand shoulder portion 11 on the connector as shown in Figure 1. It is to be noted that the proportions of the right hand portion 3 of the bush are such that, even when the retaining surface 12 is fully engaged behind the shoulder portion 11, the flange 5 remains in abutment with the edge of the panel 6 around the aperture.

In the arrangement with which this embodiment of the invention is particularly concerned, but which has not been specifically illustrated, two cables are provided with respective connectors 7 which are received in parallel apertures in the panel 6. The cables extend in parallel on the left hand side of the panel and the right hand (plug) ends 9 of the connectors are in a parallel relationship on the right hand side of the panel in which they can be interconnected by a rigid bridging member having twin sockets to receive the respective plug ends, which sockets are internally connected to each other. The two cables are thus joined to each other.

As already mentioned, manufacturing tolerances may make it difficult to align the plugs and sockets unless at least one of the plug connectors is allowed to "float" in its aperture to a small extent. The design dimensions of the bushes 1 are sufficient to compensate for any such misalignment.

The bush described in relation to Figures 1 to 3 is retained in the aperture in the panel, as long as the connector 7 is inserted therein, by engagement of the shoulder portion 11 behind the retaining surface 12 and by the fact that the shoulder portion 10 prevents the connector from entering the aperture in the panel. However, in the absence of an inserted connector, there is virtually nothing to retain the bush in the aperture and it can therefore fall out. Moreover, as explained, the connector and the bush have to be inserted from opposite sides of the panel.

In the embodiment now to be described, means is provided to retain the bush in the aperture as long as required, even in the absence of an inserted connector and both the bush and the connector are inserted from the left hand side of the panel.

Referring to Figure 4, the right hand part of the drawing is substantially the same as in Figure 1 but, on the left hand side, the shoulder portion 10 (a) on the connector 7 is shortened axially and the cylindrical portion of the bush 1 is extended beyond the aperture in the panel in order to provide a relatively rigid flange 13 between the panel 6 and the shoulder portion lOa. In the construction according to this embodiment, the bush can only be inserted into the aperture from the left, and once inserted, it will be retained there, until the slotted flange 5 is pressed inwards to release the right hand end. This is, of course, only possible when the connector has been withdrawn from the bush.

In order to withdraw the connector from the bush in either of the two embodiments described, it is necessary to spring apart the slotted flange 5 so as to release the shoulder portion 11 on the connector. This can be performed in various ways but most conveniently by the means now to be described in relationship to Figure 5.

The essential difference between Figures 4 and 5 is that, in the latter, the slotted flange 5a is formed with an inwardly - directed annular cam surface 14. In order to release the connector from the bush, an extractor tool is used of which one end is shown at 15. This is hollow to fit over the connector end 9 and is provided with an outwardly-directed cam surface 16. When the extractor tool is moved axially relative to the connector in the direction of the arrow 17, the rigid cam surface 16 forces open the resilient slotted cam surface 14 and allows the connector to be withdrawn from the bush and the panel.

At least the end of the extractor tool carrying the cam surfaces 16 may be resilient so that, in addition to the releasing action already described, the engagement of the internal frusto-conical end of the tool with the similarly-shaped right hand side of the shoulder portion 11 on the connector results in an axial resultant force which causes the connector to be expelled from the bush.

The use of a resilient plastics bush has two further advantages, one of which is that it can serve as an isolator between the connector and the panel.

Moreover, when it is required to insert a plurality of bushes into spaced apertures in the panel, the bushes may be moulded as a unit so that they are joined by a sprue which keeps them the required distance apart. This makes it easy to insert the bushes in the apertures by a mass insertion process.

The bush may, however, be made of a resilient metal, in which case it can also serve as a grounding connection.

Although described in relation to coaxial electric cables, the invention is not restricted in its application to this type of electric cable or even to cables of the kind furnished with electrical conductors.

The invention is equally applicable to the mounting of optical fibre cables, the place of the contact-engaging surfaces on the side of the panel remote from the cable being taken by appropriate optical interface surfaces, two or more of which can be joined by an opto-coupler.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Means for mounting an electrical or optical connector in an aperture in a panel which means comprises a bush of resilient material releasably engageable with both the panel and the connector.

2. Means for mounting an electrical or optical connector in an aperture in a panel, which connector is of the kind adapted to be connected to one end of a cable on one side of the panel and to present contact-engaging or other interface surfaces on the other side of the panel, the mounting means comprising a bush of resilient material relasably engageable with both the panel and the connector.

3. Mounting means as claimed in claim 2 in which the bush is provided at one end with an outwardly - directed flange having longitudinal slots therein so that it can be reduced in diameter to enable it to be inserted in the aperture and then to spring out again as it emerges from the aperture.

4. Mounting means as claimed in claim 3 adapted to co-operate with a connector having a shoulder portion adjacent one end, the arrangement being such that, when the connector is inserted in the bush, the shoulder portion is engaged by an inner retaining surface on the flange.

5. Mounting means as claimed in claim 4 in which the inner retaining surface is formed by the flanged portion of the bush tapering inwardly so as to be sprung apart as the connector is inserted in the aperture and then allowed to engage behind the shoulder portion on the connector.

6. Mounting means as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5 in which the bush is provided with a further outwardly-directed flange at its other end in order to retain the bush releasably in the aperture even in the absence of an inserted connector.

7. Mounting means as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6 in which the slotted flange is formed with an inwardly-directed cam surface adapted to be engaged by an outwardly-directed cam surface on an extractor tool which is axially movable relative to the connector so as to release the latter from the bush.

8. Mounting means as claimed in claim 7 in which the extractor tool at least over the area of the outwardly-directed cam surface is made of resilient material and has inwardly-directed tapering surfaces cooperating with similar surfaces adjacent the shoulder on the connector whereby reaction between the tool and the shoulder portion results in an axial movement of the connector to expel it from the bush.

9. Means for mounting an electrical or optical connector substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.