US2680234A - Trailer-truck light connection - Google Patents

Description

June 1, 1954 H. D. KISSICK TRAILER-TRUCK LIGHT CONNECTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 2, 1950 Hugh 0. Kiss/ck INVENTOR.

June 1, 1954 H. D. KISSICK 2,680,234

TRAILER-TRUCK LIGHT CONNECTION Filed Oct. 2, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hugh 0. Kiss/ck INVENTOR.

Patented June 1, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in electric cable couplings, and more particularly pertains to electric cable couplings for trucks.

An important object of this invention is to provide an electric cable coupling which may be readily coupled and uncoupled, and which coupling will not become disconnected under normal conditions of use, and which coupling may nevertheless be disconnected in response to a tension on one of the coupling members which will rotate the members relative to each other.

Another important object of this invention is to provide an electric cable coupling, in which the contact terminals of the coupling are eflectively sealed against the admission of moisture or other foreign matter, when the coupling is connected.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a cable coupling, in accordance with the foregoing objects, in which the contact terminals of the coupling are yieldingly biased into engagement with each other, and in which the electrical conductors are connected to the contact terminals in an improved manner.

An important feature in this invention resides in the provision of a pair of identical body members adapted to be disposed in pivotal overlapping engagement, each of the members having an arcuate flange on one end, and an arcuate channel adjacent the other end thereof for receiving the flange, and a plurality of electrical contact terminals disposed on the registering faces of the body members, which terminals are in registry with each other when the body memhere are disposed in a predetermined angular position relative to each other.

Another important feature of this invention resides in the provision of a cable coupling, in accordance with the foregoing feature, in which each of the body members has an annular sealing ring carried by the registering faces thereof, which sealing rings and both of the members are adapted to abut each other to prevent the admiss'ion of moisture and other foreign matter disposed within the channel defined by the annular sealing ring.

Still another feature of this invention resides in the provision of an electrical cable coupling, in accordance with the foregoing feature, together with an insulator block disposed within a transverse bore in each of the members, with a bore in each of the insulator blocks having a contact terminal reciprocably disposed therein, and yieldingly biased into engagement with the registering contact terminal carried by the other of said blocks.

Yet another feature of this invention resides in the provision of a coupling having insulator block's'therein, in accordance with the foregoing feature, in which the guide rod is carried by each of the contact terminals, with a cap member carried by each of the guide rods to limit reciprocation of the terminal within the bores in the insulator block, which caps are threadedly received on the guide rods, and which are provided with a transverse bore for receiving an electrical conductor, the guide rod being adapted to engage the conductor to lock the conductor to the cap.

These, together with various ancillary objects and features, are attained by this device, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the electrical cable coupling, with the body members thereof shown coupled together;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the electrical cable coupling;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional View of the cable coupling, taken substantially on the plane 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view of one of the body members, showing the contact terminals arrangement;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the other of the body members, also showing the contact terminal arrangement;

Figure 6 is a plan view of one of the body members with the cover thereof removed to show the manner in which the conductors are connected to the contact terminal; and,

Figure '7 is a fragmentary sectional view of one of the contact terminals.

Reference is now made more specifically to the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, and in which the electrical cable coupling, indicated generally by the numeral. it, includes first and second body members l2 and M, respectively.

Each of the body members i 2 and M are formed identical to each other, and accordingly a discussion of one of the body members is thought sufficient, it being understood that the same or a similar construction should be utilized in the other of the body members. I

' The member l2 includes a substantially cylindrical sleeve portion [6 having an arcuate flange it on one end thereof, and an elongated portion 26 on the portion thereof diametrically opposed to the flange IS. A lug 22 having an arcuate inner face 24, disposed concentric with the cylindrical sleeve I6, is formed integrally with the elongated portion 20, and has an arcuate channel 25 formed therein, which channel is adapted to receive a flange it of the body member i l, the flange I 8 of the body member ll being adapted to be received in a similar channel- 26 formed in the body member I 4. As will be appreciated, the flange I8 is provided with an arcuate rib 28, the channel 26 having a correspondingly formed arcuate recess 30, for the reception of the corresponding rib carried by the flange of the other body member M.

The elongated portion 26 is preferably provided with an internal passageway 32, which passageway communicates with the interior oi the sleeve 16, whereby conductors such as 34' may be disposed. in the passageway. In order to limit relative pivotal movement of the body members l2 and I4, there may be provided looking pins 34 which are adapted to engage the flanges it, each of which pins is secured to the lug 22 and the elongatedportion 20, transversely of the channel 26, as is clearly apparent from a consideration of Figure l.

The sleeve 16 is provided with an annular groove 35, adjacent the base 3% of the body member l2 which is adapted to register with a corre-- spending base of the body member M, the groove 36 receiving the rib 40 which is carried by an annular resilient ring 42. The ring 42 has a face 44' which is adapted toabut the corresponding face of an annular ring carried by the other'body member Hi, to provide an effective moisture seal between the two body members, when" the latter are connected together. An electrical insulator block 45 is disposed within the sleeve 15, and non-rotatably connected thereto by means of the set screw 48,'the block having a portion thereof extending into the resilient ring 42, to retain the latter in position in the sleeve it; The insulator block 46 isprovi'ded' with a plurality of bores 56 therein which extend parallel to the axis of the block, each of which bores has an internal annular' flange 52 intermediate the ends thereof to guidingly receive a shaft 54. Although seven of such bores are shown, it is to be understood that any number of the same may be utilized without departing from the spirit of the invention, and that the bores need notbe disposed in the concentric arrangement shown best in Figures 4, and 6, but may take any suitable pattern which is deemed desirable for the particular coupling. The contact terminal 58 is carried by one of the shaft 54, and a spring 58 is interposed between the terminal 56 and the annular flange 52, to yieldingly bias the terminal 5a in a direction to engage the corresponding terminal carried by the other body member M. A cap member 6i] has an internally threaded bore 62 therein, which bore receives the correspondingly threaded end portion 54 of the shaft 54, the cap member 60' also having a transversely extending conductorreceiving bore 56 which communicates with the bore 62, whereby the shaft 54 may be urged into" engagement with the endof the conductor 34 which is inserted in the bore it. As will be appreciated, the cap member 60 is reciprocably disposed within the'bore 5d; the lower portion of the cap memberengaging the annular flange 52, to limit reciprocation of'the terminal 56. within the bore 50.

The resilient pad 53, of electrically insulating. material, overlies the upper portion of the in.- sulator block 45, and the cap member 60, to electrically insulate the cap member 80. from the body members i2 and I4, and a cover plate 703 having a peripheral flange 72 is seated in a corresponding recess 74 in'the outer face o1"v the body members [2 and 14, the cover member being secured in position by means of. suitable fasteners. 76, whereby the cover member will retain the pad. 58 and the insulatorblock 45 in position within;

the sleeve 16.

In operation, it will be appreciated that the body members 12 and i4 may be selectively coupled and uncoupled from each other by merely rotating the body members I2 and l4 relative to each other. It is also thought apparent that the coupling I0 may be so disposed on the truck that the conduits (not shown) which holds the condoctors 34 is normally aligned with the body members 12 and I4 in a direction longitudinally of the coupling, whereby disconnection of the coupling will be prevented.

It is also thought apparent that when the body members i2 and Id are coupled to each other, that the contact terminal 55 will be yieldingly biased into engagement with the corresponding contact terminal carried by the other body member, and that the annular resilient ring 42 will have the: face 44 thereof in abutting engagement to-prevent the admission of moisture or other foreign matter-to the contact terminal 56.-

From the foregoing, it is thought that the: operation and construction of the device will be readily understood, and further discussion there.- for'eisbelieved to be unnecessary. How-ever; nu merous modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not intended to limit the invention to that shown and described, but allsuitable modifb cations may be resorted to falling within the scopeof the appendedclaim.

Having described the claimed as new is:

A cable connector comprising a pair of substantially elongated body members adapted to have portions thereof disposed in pivoted overlapping engagement, means for positioning said body members in a predetermined angularly adjusted position with respect to'each other, each of said members having a transverse bore therein, an insulator block in each of said bores; said insulator blocks providing opposed registering faces invention, what is when said body members are engaged, each of" said insulator-blocks having a plurality ofbores' parallel to the axis of the transverse bores in said body members, a counterbore at each end of said bores, contact rods slidably mounted in said bores, contact heads on said rods, resilient members in the counterbores under said contact. heads; cap members threadedly'connectedi to the other end of said contact rods, eachof said caps having a transverse cond'uctorreceiving opening therein intersectingthe threaded connection, said. contact heads registering with each other when said body members are disposed in said predetermined angularly adjusted position, a cover plate attached to the external. face of. each. of saidv body members, and aresilient insulating, pad. in.-- tbeirpgsed between said. cover and. said insulator References Cited in the file of this" patent" UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name Date:

359,982 Plume Mar; 22,1887 484,03i Marble .Oct. 11, 1892 1,687,074 Wichert Oct, 9; 1928' 2,127,544 Von I-Ioltz Aug. 23-, 1938 2,287,762 Rogoff June23, 1942- 2,486,195- Munsey' Oct. 25,.1949 2,502,307 Basco-rn Mar; 28; 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country. Date 17,614. Great Britain 0118911.

Images