IL33440A - Separable connector with locking means - Google Patents

Description

n This invention relates to a separable connector of the wherein the connector bodies are selectively secured gether by a connecting sleeve rotatably mounted upon one of the bodies and tethered thereto against axial movement toward the other body of the The connecting sleeve and the other body of the connector are provided with interfitting formations suci as or pins and helical whereby the turning of the connecting sleeve in appropriate direction relative to the other body draws said bodies together and secures them tive position relative to eac the tion relates to locking means whereb the connecting sleeve is prevented from becoming accidentally loosened as a result of vibrations to which it be subjected during To this a second sleeve is surrounding the first with a lost motion connection The locking means comprises at least one radially displaceable detent carried by the first sleeve and interacting with formations on the of the first body and the second ing to whether the second sleeve lies in a central position with respect to the first body or is turned through the medium of said second The invention will be now described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings 1 is a vie partially in radial section through the two bodies or parts of a separable connector one part of which is provided with the locking means of the 2 is a view in transverse section taken along the line the parts being shown with the locking means in e t o o 3 is a fragmentary view taken similarly to 2 but with the locking means in unlocked 4 is a fragmentary section of the same taken along the lines of 2 and 5 is a fragmentary section of the same td en along the line of In 1 the connector shown is an electrical one body 10 of which has a shell 12 having a plurality of electrical contacts such as sockets carried by an electrically insulating insert the other body 11 a shell 14 taining another electrically insulating insert having a number of cooperative electrical contacts such as The two connector bodies 10 and 11 are connected by being disposed in alignment and advanced toward each other so that the prongs on the one part enter the sockets on the The bodies are guided with respect to each other by interfltting longitudinal formations suoh as an extending rib 20 on the shell of the body 11 and a groove 19 in the shell 12 of the body 10 matingly receiving the The bodies are drawn toward each other into their fully assembled ition by means of a first sleeve or nut 15 internally threaded at 17 which is rotatably tethered on the shell 12 of connector part such nut receiving and threadedly engaging an externally threaded hood portion 18 of the shell 14 of connector body In the fully assembled condition of the the hood tion of shell 14 is telescoped within the portion 16 of nut It is to be understood that although the locking means is illustrated herein in connection with a electrical it may be used to advantage with other separable connectors the mating formations on the connecting sleeve the other body need not be threads but may for ing pins and helical grooves on the sleeve and other whereby the turning of the connecting sleeve in one direction pulls the two bodies the connector and maintains them in such and turning of the sleeve in the other direction releases the parts of The end of the connecting sleeve or nut 15 rearwardly of the generally cylindrical portion thereof is provided with a radially inwardly extending flange 21 having a forwardly facing radially extending annular surface 22 which rear surface 24 of a radially extending flange 25 on the shell 12 of the connector body Such engagement between the flanges 21 and 25 secures the nut 15 from travel axially of the shell 12 toward connector part 11 when the two connector parts 10 and 11 are tightened toward each Travel of the hut 15 in the other direction relative to the shell 12 is prevented by an annular retaining member 26 which is telescoped over the rear circular cylindrical portion of the shell 12 of the connector body the member 26 being retained in substantial contact with the flange 21 by means of a spring ring 27 which is snapped into an annular groove 29 on the portion of the shell 12 rearwardly of the member Because the nut 15 is thus held against substantial axial travel with respect to the shell and because such nut has threaded engagement with the shell 14 of the connector body 11 as above the turning of the nut is a connector loosenin direction the two connector bodies 10 and 11 apart so long as threads 17 and 18 remain in effective threaded The nut or connecting member 15 may be said to be 5 nut 15 is a further or second sleeve 30 which functions both as part of the means for selectively locking the connecting 15 from rotation with respect to connector part 10 and for ing the nut in either the connector or ing Sleeve 30 is retained against rearward travel with respect to shell 12 of connector part 10 by engagement with the radially outer portion of the annular member and against forwar travel with respect to shell 12 by engagement with a radially wardly directed annular flange 31 on the forward end of the connect ing member The connecting member 15 is provided with at least one radial slot in the illustrative as shown in there are three such equally spaced about the connecting member Each slot 32 has a flat forward wall shown at the right in which lies a transverse plane mal to the axis of the member and a rear wall which has radiall outer flat portion 35 parallel to the forward wall The radiall Intermediate portion 36 of the rear wall is in the form of a tion of a frustum of a cone coaxial of the nut 15 and converging As shown in the other walls 37 of the slot which are in planes at right angles to those of the walls 34 and 35 and parallel to the axis of nut are and lie parallel to each other at equal distances on either side of a central radial plane containin the axis of nut Disposed in each of the slots as shown in is a ball 39 having a diameter such that it fits fairly but with some between opposite walls 34 and on the one hand and the opposite walls 37 on the The radially outer between axlally extending lands the bottoms 42 of the recesses 40 lying along a The peripheral ends 38 of the lands 41 are inclined as so that the balls 39 when released may readily roll up out of the The operating sleeve 30 is provided at the location Of each of the slots when the parts are disposed as in 2 with a radially inwardly and axially extending land 44 having a peripheral length in the embodiment slightly ceeds the peripheral distance between the opposite side walls 37 of the slot The free that the radially inner surface 45 of the land which is curved concentrically to the bottoms 42 of recesses is spaced from such bottoms 42 of the recesses 40 by a distance which slightly exceeds the diameter of the ball It will be seen that with the parts in the position shown in the balls 39 are prevented by the lands 44 from escape from the recesses and that when the balls in the recesses they lock the nut or connecting member 15 from rotation with respect to the shell 12 of connecto part the balls 39 are permitted to move radially outwardly iciently to ride up over the lands 41 on flange 25 the nut 15 is unlocked from the shell 12 and is free to be turned in either ction with respect to the shell To permit the to move radially outwardly to free the nut 15 for there is provided on each side of the land 44 on the inner surface of the sleeve 30 a recess 46 which is connected to the land by inclined surfaces Each recess 46 has a curved root surface 53 which is coaxial of nut 15 and which lies radially outwardly of surface 45 of land 7 relative to nut 15 in an amount sufficient to bring the cesses 46 in radial alignment with each of balls the balls climb up the walls 38 of the lands 41 on flange 25 and recesses The nut 15 is new free to be turned further with respect to shell 12 of connector part 10 in the direction in which it was initially turned to unlock the Beyond the peripherally outer end of each recess 46 and disposed partially in the cting member or nut 15 and ially in the operating sleeve there is a spring of which one at each locking means is designated 47 and the other cesses 49 are open at the axially rear ends of nut 15 and operating member the springs being retained in the recesses by member 26 which overlies the rear ends of such Each of the reoesses 49 is closed at its peripherally outer end by a shoulder 50 which is formed wholly in the connecting member as shown The peripherally inner end of each of recesses 49 is formed partly by a shoulder 51 on nut 15 and partly by a shoulder 52 on operating sleeve Shoulders and 52 are in radial alignment when the parts are positioned as Disposed in each of the recesses 49 is a coil pression spring 54 and Each of such springs gages at all times at its outer end its respective shoulder 50 in the member the parts are in the locked position of the of the springs engage both of shoulders 51 and 52 on the parts 15 and 30 at the inner end of the recesses the member is turned in the connector loosening direction the spring 54 in recess 47 is compressed tween the shoulders 50 and 52 of recess 47 so that the member turned in the opposite directio in order to tighten the member the initial driving between members 30 and 15 would be through the spring 55 acting between the shoulders 50 and 52 of recess As explained upon the turning of the sleeve relative to the connecting member 15 in either direction from its locked shown in the balls 39 are freed from the recesses 40 in the flange 25 so that they may move radially outwardly to permit rotation of the member 15 relative to the shell At any when the sleeve 30 is the springs 50 and which are of equal compressive return the member 30 to its central position wherein the lands 44 overlie the slots 32 in member Thus the recesses the ball3 and t e lands taken with the spring 50 and function to lock member 15 from rotation at any of its intermediate positions as well as its terminal In order to prevent the undue compaction of the springs 54 and and to provide a positive drive between sleeve 30 and the connecting member 15 after a predetermined lost motion the sleeve 30 and the connecting member 15 are provided with the in stop means shown in Such stop means are located somewhat axially forwardly of the locking means on the connector part as shown by the broken sectioning lire in Such stop which is shown in comprises a radially inwardly projecting lug oh operating member such lug being received within an elongated reoess 57 in the outer face of the connecting member Lug 56 has opposite 3houlders 60 which when the sleeve 30 is disposed centrally with respect to the connecting member 15 are generally e ually 9 when the sleeve is turned relative to the connecting member 15 and after the respective spring 55 has been axially compressed to a predetermined degree the shoulders 61 will engage if the sleeve 30 turned in one tion shoulders 62 will engage if the sleeve is turned in the other direction relative to the connectin member 1 There is thereupon formed a direct driving ment between the sleeve 30 and the connecting member after the initial loosening of the connecting membe or prior to the final tightening of the ing when the greatest torques between members 30 and 15 the drive between operating member 30 and the connecting member 15 will be through the respective spring Although only one embodiment of the invention has been the accompanying drawings and described in the going it is to be especially understood that various such as relative dimensions of the ials and the as well as the suggested manner of use of the apparatus of the may be made therein without parting from the spirit and scope of the as will now be apparent to those skilled in the r insufficientOCRQuality

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS 1# A separable connector, comprising first and second tubular bodies adapted to be secured together in aligned operative relationship, means for keying the two bodies together to prevent relative rotation therebetween while the are being advanced toward and retracted away from each other, means for securing the two bodies together comprising a first sleeve mounted on the first connector body for rotation with respect thereto while being held from axial movement therealong, and cooperating formations on the sleeve and the second body which pull said bodies together and maintain them in that position upon the turning of the sleeve in one direction relative to said first body, characterised in that, in order to avoid danger of other than intentional release of said connector bodies, there is provided releasable locking means which comprises a second sleeve rotatably mounted upon the first body, lost motion means connecting the two sleeves whereby the first sleeve may be turned by the second sleeve, normally operative locking device coacting with the first connector body and the first and second sleeves for locking the first sleeve against rotation with respect to the first body and for rendering said locking effect Inoperative upon the turning of the second sleeve relative to the first body. 2· A separable connector according to Claim 1, characterized in that the lost motion connection comprises resilient means yieldable throughout a predetermined range which constantly urges the locking means toward its locked positione 3# A separable connector according to Claim 2, characterized in that the lost motion connection comprises stop shoulder means 35440/2 first sleeves before the end of the range of yielding of "-the resilient means is reached. 4, A separable connector according to Claim 3, characterized in that said locking device compriees further at least one Ishiftable detent carried by the first sleeve and simultaneously engaging wit a play a radially outer wall of the first body and a radially inner wall of the second sleeve, and cooperating detent receiving formations on said outer and inner' walls which lock the first sleeve against rotation with respect to the firs body when the second sleeve lies In a first angular position about its axis with respect to the first sleeve and which free the first sleeve for rotation with respect to the first body upon the turning of the second sleeve to a second angular position with respect to the first sleeve. 5. A separable connector according to Claim 4# characterized in that at least a part of the second sleeve is telescoped over the first sleeve, this latter has at leas one radially extending slot therethrough so that said portions of the first body and the second sleeve confront each other through said slot, and said detent is mounted within the slot in the first sLeeve. 6. A. separable connector according to Claim 4, characterized in that said lost motion connection comprises opposed springs acting between the first and second sleeves for urging the second sleeve toward said first angular position with respect to the first sleeve, the respective springs yielding in opposite directions when the second sleeve is turned in opposite directions from said first angular position relative to the first sleeve. 7. A separable connector substantially as herein, described and shown in the accompanying drawings. For the Applicants