IL36081A - An electrical two-part connector - Google Patents

Description

electric 1 connector O CORPORATION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The of art to the present invention pertains is that of electrical connectors of the type in which the two mating parts of the connector are maintained in a mating locked tion by a snap or snatching action when the mating parts are Description of the Art One common form of known electrical connector has one or more bayonet pins on a male connector plug body and a coupling ring rotatable on a mating female receptacle the ring having bayonet slots corresponding to the bayonet pins on the plug The two parts are drawn together when the coupling ring is rotated to cause the pin to ride up the slots of the Such a connector requires the ring to be rotated in the opposite direction to effect of the Requirements for connectors which disconnect simply in response to a such connectors being designated In the art as snatch Many designs for snatch connectors of varying degrees of but all have distinguishable in that generally they are quite complex and thus difficult to and generally are not suitable for mating with corresponding mating connectors already implemented in existing equipment SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the need in the art of a simple snatch type but yet one which can be adapted to present equipment and be relatively compatible with existing mating it is an object of the present invention to vide an electrical connector which is simple in construction but which nevertheless structured so as to require only minor manufacturing modifications of conventional bayonet type connectors to be compatible This enables the manufacturer of a of connector types to is customers in the alternative connector with small additional tooling costs and stockcarrying According to the present there is provided an electrical connector comprising a first conneotor part for receiving a mating connector part having at least one radially direoted projection said first part a cylindrical body and a couplingjring coaxial and rotable on the the coupling ring enclosing at least one pair of axially extending jaws adapted to receive and retain said projection when the first and second connector parts are brought said coupling ring an annular forward portion which provides a shroud for the and at least one aperture in said forward portion through which said projection is observable when the connector parts are brought It will be appreciated that the male plug body portion herein the second connector part carrying the ecions or bayonet pins of the type presently being conventional bayonet type connectors and accordingly requires no modification The female receptacle body herein the first connector part may also be manufactured without change or modification provided that the conventional coupling ring rotatable thereon be replaced with a coupling ring in accordance with the present in order to change a conventional bayonet connector into a The pairs of spring jaws in a preferred embodiment of coupling while major portions of the connector male and are constructed of presently available the unique action of the coupling ring and spring jaws of the subject Invention result in a different and improved means of drawing the two parts of the connector OF THE DRAWI GS The invention be described in more by way of reference to the figures of the accompanying in wh FIGURE I is a view of a ring in axial connector connector section and the plug receptacle vertical FIGURE 2 is a view of the structure the of spring jaws prior to flexing of the spring to fit internally of the coupling and FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view of a single spring jaw pair showing one fne sHatched position within the DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGURES and the two principal parts of the connector are shown as male body plug 10 and female receptacle body The plug body 10 houses socket one of which is indicated schematically at The body has three bayonet pins 14 projecting radially therefrom at The receptacle body 16 comprises pin one being shown schematical ly at which mate and electrically contact ponding ones of the socket contacts 12 of the plug body 10 when the two parts are The pin contacts 18 are shrouded within the forward end 20 of a coupling ring 22 which is rotatably mounted on the receptacle body by means of a engaging in an annular groove 24 inside the ring As viewed externally of the the ring has the appearance not unlike an ordinary bayonet couplin rin with the forward end 20 of the ring as in prior art the forward end 20 is relieved internally so as to form an annular groove 26 which opens forward I y at forming wide slots 28 on the inner front surface of the coupling ring The slots 28 are of such dimension as to leave projections or lands 30 between the slots 28 of even greater width than the slots The lands 30 serve to retain a spring strip in the forward end 20 of the the strip being formed of a length of tough resilient synthetic or of a metal if which is bent into a circle and sprung Into the forward end The strip comprises a band 32 which enters the groove 26 and is prevented from being led out axial ly by the spring strip abutting the walls of the groove 26 and is prevented from rotation the 22 by the spring abutting the walls of the slots In the preferred three of jaws 34 project forward from the band 32 through the slots Each of jaws 34 has a flared mouth 36 into which one of the bayonet pins 14 can be pushed to spreading the jaws The smaller dimensioned end of the mouth 36 opens into a circular aperture When the pins 14 enter the apertures the jaws snap together again and hold the two parts of the connector together a cient pull separates the two The required pull or separating force can be established by selectively designing the jaws 34 to suit the particular application The ring 22 is drilled with three radially directed holes 40 through which the pins 14 can be seen when the pins 14 are fully home in the apertures As indicated earl the snatch connector of the present invention is arranged to establish a mating pressure between the two connector parts by designing the spring jaws 34 of the band 32 so as to gri the bayonet pin or thereby tending to draw the same t h n rin hen the ins 14 are na ed into the pins are gripped by the shoulders 42 formed where the apertures 38 meet with the flared mouth portion 36 of the jaws These shoulders direct forces against the pin 14 that are directed axial ly inwardly with respect to the forward end 20 of the coupl ing ring and fore act against the I i ndr ica I I pin 14 to cam the pin into the coupling Utilizing a suitable design for the dimensions between the ends of the connector bodies 10 and together with the respective dimensions of the pin and the apertures a mating pressure is established between the plug body and the receptacle body when the pin is under camming The camming action between the shoulders 42 and pin 14 is illustrated in Figure which shows a fragmentary portion of the band one of the pair of jaws 34 having captured a pin which had been forced between the jaws 34 through the flared mouth 36 and into the Figure 3 position within aperture the Figure 3 the shoulders 42 exert force the direction of arrows 43 as the jaws 34 spring As the shoulders 42 cam the a component of force the direction of arrows 44 is also In this while the pin 14 as shown in Figure somewhat smal ler in diameter than aperture the pin 14 is not loosely within the aperture in the coupled position of the The connector parts are designed to separate response to a direct pull on the cables which are connected by the the recommended manner of separating the two parts is to provide a direct pull while grasping the two parts in the hands of the The person attempting to disconnect the two parts may not realize initially that he is handling a snatch connector instead of a bayonet and may therefore attempt to rotate the coupling ring 22 relative to the plug body This inadvertent will not cause any damage to the connector because the jaws 34 of the spring strip will merely be pushed against the lands 30 and cannot The use of a spring strip sprung into a coupling ring enables the production of a coupling ring having a conventional external a narrowed metal while the particular structure internal ly thereof provides the convenience and speed of connecting and disconnecting which is associated with the advantages of a connector is real izable concomitant with simple and inexpensively It is contemplated that the jaws 34 could be provided using various manufacturing As an the ring 22 could be molded from a resil ient synthetic the jaws being molded integrally the coupling ring could be produced from metallic material and the band 32 could be produced from synthetic material from a sheet metal material by stamping Since the receptacle body is intended to be adapted with the unique coupling ring in accordance with the present the body members and are considered to be parts which are presently available on the the present invention is related specifical ly to the coupling ring 22 and the band 32 mounted The coupling ring 22 and band 32 can be sold as an adaptor which the user can fit onto existing connectors as a replacement for their ordinary bayonet coupl ing thereby effecting conversion of the connector to a With specific reference to Figure it will be seen that the coupl ing ring and spring jaws are manufacturable with the band 32 having generally straight portion 33 with the three pairs of jaws 34 projecting laterally In this strip is bent into a circle and snapped into the coupl ing As shown in Figures 2 and the jaws have a mouth 36 which is flared and tapers inwardly toward the straight part 33 of the band 32 and then opens into an enlarged aperture 38 for receiving the bayonet pin It will be apparent that the spring strip insert band 32 snapped into if re lacement is needed for any it will also be noted that the form of the band with relatively short jaws will allow the band to be accommodated in the coupl ing ring 22 without increasing either its axial or its radial dimensions beyond that of conventional bayonet type External the l ing ring can be identical with the ordinary bayonet coupling ring which it When the connection is made or the jaws 34 flex open by the action of the jaws 34 bowing and twisting to accommodate the pin Pin 14 is designed to be of larger diameter than the smal lest dimension of the flared mouth 36 but of smaller diameter than the aperture The twisting character of the jaws 34 is particularly effected at the roots of the jaws where they merge into the straight portion 33 of the band it wil be ciated that the band itself may bow or twist ly in the narrowed region thereof adjacent the aperture In order to mit twisting of the straight portion 33 of the band 32 the axial width of the band 32 may be designed to be somewhat less than the axial width of the annular groove 26 which receives the band the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing is an example and that other changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the 8 insufficientOCRQuality

Claims (12)

1. · A first connector part for receiving a mating second connector part having at least one radially directed projection thereon, said first part comprising a cylindrical body and a couplingring coaxial with and rot table on the body, the coupling ring enclosing at leas one pair of axially extending J va adapted to receive and retain said projection when the first and second connector parts are brought together, said coupling ring having an annular forward portion which provides a shroud for the j ws, and at least one aperture in said forward portion through which said projection is observable when the connector parts are brought together*

2. * A first connector part for receiving a mating second connector part having at leas one radially directed projection thereon* said first part comrls&ag a cylindrical body, coupling ring carried thereon and coaxial therewith, having an annular internal groove, intersected by at least one axial internal groove extending from the annular groove to the oute end of the coupling ring, and a sprin received in said groove, the spring haviug at least one axially-opening jaw thereon adapted to receive and retain the radially directed projection when the connector parts are mated, the jaw being received in the axial groove.

3. - & first and second connector par accodin to Claim 2, wherein the spring Is o normal curvature less than that of the groove, so that when fitted therein it exerts outward, force. 56081/2 - 9 -

4. A first and second connector part according to Claim 2, wherein the jaw consists of a pair of opposed members defining a flared mouth with its large end toward the outer end of the coupling ring, and its smaller end opening into a first aperture of interrupted circular outline larger than said projection.

5. first and second connector part according to Claim 4» wherein the coupling ring includes a second aperture radially aligned with the first aperture, through which said projection is observable when the connector parts are brought together.

6. A spring strip for use in a first connector part which mates with a second connector according to Claim 1, comprising an elongated substantially straight portion and at least one pair of laterally extending jaws, said strip being carried by the first connector part and adapted to receive and retain a portion of the second connector part when the first and second parts are brought together.

7. A spring strip as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the jaws define a tapered mouth portion opening at its narrowest dimension into a circular aperture, and wherein said portion of the second connector part is a cylindrically-shaped pin projecting radially outward from the outer surface of the second connector part.

8. A spring strip as claimed in Claim 7» wherein the pin has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the aperture and larger than the narrowest dimension of the mouth*

9. A spring strip as claimed in Claim 7» wherein the junction of the mouth portion and the aperture form a pair

10. A spring strip as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the 3trip is of a resilien material and, when in position within the first connector part* forms an annular expansion sp ing exerting outwardly directed forces against the inner surface of the first connector part.

11. A spring strip as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the resilient material is metal.

12. A spring strip as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the resilient material is a synthetic substance. For the applicants