US2181154A

US2181154A - Plug and receptacle

Info

Publication number: US2181154A
Application number: US190191A
Authority: US
Inventors: John M Roper
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1938-02-12
Filing date: 1938-02-12
Publication date: 1939-11-28
Anticipated expiration: 1956-11-28

Description

J. M. ROPER PLUG AND RECEPTACLE Filed Feb. 12, 1938V i Nov. 28, 1,939.

vv v vill"1111111111111147111111114 INVENTOR JOHN M. DO/PEI? Ww/( &0. ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE (Granted under the act of March s, 1883, asA

amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) This invention relates toa double contact electrical receptacle and plug especially intended for use'on aircraft, and more particularly on aircraft instrument boards, wherein the instrument board may be provided with receptacles of this invention, and the plug of this invention may be connected thereto at desired times for affording a power circuit to the wires connected to the receptacle.v There are some instruments on aircraft, particularly military aircraft of the bombing type, which are actuatable by electrical circuits, but where, as a safety precaution, it is desirable that the power to such instruments be enlely disconnected when early use of such in truments, such as operating bomb dropping tra contemplated. AWith this invention it becomes possible to sever the power connection from the Vsource of current 4to the instrument and thus avoid. relyingV upon an ordinary switch which might accidentally complete the circuit to cause an undesired operation.

A further object of this invention is tn provide a receptacle including male contacts and a plug` including female contacts, and to provide means whereby the female contacts of the plug will be double locked to the male contacts of the receptacle, preventing accidental separation thereof. With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevational View, partly in section,

of the plug and receptacle in interlocked relation.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the plug assembly.

Fig. 3 is an end view looking at the left of'Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a partly sectional and partly elevational vieW of the receptacle assembly; and

Fig. 5 is an end view looking at the right of Fig. 4. v

There is shown at I0 the interlocking plug assembly II and receptacle assembly I2 constituting this invention. l

The plug assembly II consists of a housing I3 provided with appropriate bayonet slots I4 for holding it in assembled relation with the recep-f tacle I2. One end of the housing I3 is threaded as at I5 to receive a cap I6 which holds a gland I1 pressed about a conduit I8, through which eX- tends conductors I 9 whose ends 20 Aare soldered into hollow pins 2 I which integrally extend from the backs of female contacts 22. 'I'hese female contacts 22 are placed through apertures in an insulating spacer 23 and abut against the flanges 24 at the ends of apertures 25. The female contacts 22 are held in the spacer 23 by aninsulat- ,is noting sleeve 26 which abuts against the shoulder 21 formed between the pins 2| and the backs of the female contacts 22, sleeve 26 being provided with recess 28 to alignwith the outside of the pins,2I, the spacer `23 being held Within the end of the housing I3 by a cross-bar 3|) in a suitably positioned recess 3| extending across the end of the spacer 23. l

The receptacle assembly I2 includes a housing 3l having a flange 32, whereby it may be suitably secured as to an instrument board. A cap 33 serves for holding the receptacle `assembly in assembled position. Within the housing 3| there is placed an insulating plug member 34 in the shape of a cylindrical disc, but having bayonet slots 35 on opposite sides thereof cooperating with bayonet pins secured through the housing' 3I. .The bayonet slots 35 have one side wall 31 extending in a straight line the full thickness of the cylindrical disc 34,` while the other wall 38 is S shaped, and thus extending partly through the cylindrical disc, thereby providing a bayonet pin receiving recess 39.

Extending into this insulating plug member 34 are a pair of male finger contacts 4|! which are split as at 4I, so as to make them slightly yieldable and permit them to be inserted into the female contacts 22 of the plug assembly II.

The male contacts 40 terminate on the other side of the male plug member 34 in hollow ends 42, within which may. be soldered the conduit wires 43 extending from the conduit cable 44. An insulating spaced sleeve 45, identical with the sleeve 26, is placed about the hollowed ends 42 between the insulating plug member 34, anda shouldered insulating ferrule 46 is placed withinV the cap 33 about the end of the .cable 44, the shouldered ferrule 46 being urged by the spring 41 against the sleeve 45, spring 41 abutting against an inturned flange 48 of the cap 33.

In operation, the plug assembly II and the receptacle assembly I2 are each assembled as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, with the'bayonet slot 35 of the 1 insulating plug member 34 in the position shown in Fig. 4, having the bayonet pin 38 located withlin the recess 39, being urged into such posi- When inserting the plug it is rotated to bring the pins 50 into locked position within the bayonet slots I4.

Simultaneously with this insertion and rotating movement the insulating plug member 34 will, with sleeve 45, move against spring 41, thereby permitting the plug assembly II to enter a sufficient distance. Then when the plug I I is rotated to lock the bayonet slots I4 on the pins 50, the pin 36 will be removed from the recess 3 9 of bayonet slot 35 in receptacle plug member 34 to a position adjacent the bayonet slot wall 31, as shown in Fig. 1, so that when the plug II is locked within the receptacle I2 the receptacle plug member 34 is released from the bayonet pin 36 and its male finger contacts 40 yieldably urged into the female contacts 22 to a tight contact. On disconnecting the plug II from the receptacle I2, the plug II is first pushed, rotated, and then withdrawn, which movements will 'again bring the pin 36 back into the bayonet slot recess 39 and thus hold the receptacle plug member 34 and its finger contacts safely within the housing 3l.

Inasmuch as cable I8 and the plug assembly vII is connected to the source of electrical current the .cable 44 of receptacle assembly I2 is connected to the instrument to be operated, it is obvious that there may be nol circuit to the cable .44, unless and until the female contacts 22 have The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

In combination, an electric plug and a receptacle, said plug including female contact means and said receptacle including male contact means, means unrestrictedly yieldably urging the male contact means of the receptacle into the female contact means of the plug when the plug is in contact with the receptable, and means restricting the movement of the male contact means in the receptacle when the plug is not in contact therewith, said last mentioned means including an insulating plug member through which said male contact means is mounted, a cooperating bayonet slot means on the side of said insulating plug member and pin means on said receptacle, said bayonet slot means having a shoulder in said insulating plug member cooperating with said pin means to limit the longitudinal movement of said insulating plug member in one position thereof and having a through slot therein to free the said insulating plug member for unrestricted yieldable movement in another position thereof, and cooperating bayonet pin and slot means in said plug and said receptacle, whereby when said plug and receptacle are relatively rotated when brought into contact. the insulating` plug member is rotated to the position of unrestricted yieldable movement to press the male contact means into the female contact means.

JOHN M. ROPER.