US3518617A

US3518617A - Electrical connectors

Info

Publication number: US3518617A
Application number: US683959A
Authority: US
Inventors: Melvin B Bosworth; Douglas F Bowman; Harry P Sparkes; Clarence A Young
Original assignee: Lockheed Aircraft Corp
Current assignee: Lockheed Corp
Priority date: 1967-11-17
Filing date: 1967-11-17
Publication date: 1970-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 1987-06-30

Description

June 30, 1970 BOSWORTH ET AL 3,518,617

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 5 Filed NOV. 17, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet l I 3% .i!!! K L 24 fiillliifiyii I 34 22 INVENTORS I MELVIN B. BOSWORTH DOUGLAS E BOWMAN HARRY P SPARKES CLARENCE A. YOUNG FIG-4 Agent .Fune 3Q, 1970 BOSWORTH ET AL 3,518,617

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR S Filed Nov. 17, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 T T :I: :1 W #1 l0 all INVENTORS MELVIN B BOSWORTH DOUGLAS F. BOWMAN HARRY P. SPARKES CLARENCE A.YOUNG June 30, 1970 M, B, BQSWQRTH ET AL 3,518,617

ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS 3 Sheets-Sheet I3 lNVENTORS MELVIN B. BOSWORTH DOUGLAS F. BOWMAN HARRY P SPARKES CLARENCE A. YOUNG Filed NOV. 1'7, 1967 United States Patent Office 3,518,617- Patented June 30, 1970 3,518,617 ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS Melvin B. Bosworth, Glendale, Douglas F. Bowman,

Canoga Park, Harry P. Sparkes, Pacific Palisades, and Clarence A. Young, Burbank, Calif., assiguors to Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, Calif. Continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 525,531, Feb. 7, 1966. This application Nov. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 683,959

Int. Cl. H01r 13/58 U.S. Cl. 339-107 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 525,531 filed Feb. 7, 1966, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to a connector and more particularly to a connector having a low voltage drop and which can be assembled or disassembled with predete mined engagement or disengagement forces.

Description of the prior art External electrical power is usually supplied to aircraft, missiles, and other vehicles while they are on the ground and not operating. One such example is an external power source which is coupled to an aircraft through a cable for supplying 115 volts AC at 400 cycles per second. Normally, a receptacle having one or more terminal pins extends from the aircraft and a plug attached to the cable is engaged to the terminal pins. For the transmission of power through the cable, it is a requirement that the installation have a minimum amount of voltage drop across the plug and receptacle terminal pins. One such requirement for the military is a voltage drop of not more than 40 millivolts in a distance of 11% inches across the terminal pins and plug when passing 250 amperes current. To limit the amount of voltage drop across the connector, the contact force can be increased between a current-carrying device and the terminal pins; the variation in the voltage drop is proportional to the square root of the contact force. This increase in contact force makes it exceedingly diflicult'to force a plug on or oil a receptacle. It is also desirable and a military requirement to limit this engagement and disengagement force to 75 pounds, plus or minus 10 pounds. Neither of the above requirements Were fulfilled by using the structure known in the art today.

As used in this specification, the word connector is a generic term referring to both electrical plugs and receptacles.

The term plug as used herein is an electrical device normally coupled to a current-carrying cable. It includes a female or a male connection as a terminal portion of the cable.

The term receptacle means an electrical device normally coupled to a current-carrying cable. It includes a male or a female connection as a terminal portion of the cable.

Connectors of the prior art are usually constructed so that the voltage drop is in part dependent upon the square root of the force applied between connecting portions of a plug and a receptacle. Thus, the approach in prior art connectors has been to increase the force between the plug and the receptacle in order to reduce the voltage drop across them. This has been found to be unacceptable in those cases where a very low voltage drop is required since a very high force is required to engage or disengage the plug and the receptacle.

The connectors of the known prior art have generally been constructed with contact pins coupled to power cables, the components having been encased in a one piece, molded rubber housing. The cost of the power cables and the connectors is quite high and this particular arrangement of the known connectors has not permitted or provided for an easy disassembly of the unit in order to replace worn parts. The non-repairable aspect of such electrical connectors made them unattractive since connector maintenance was impossible, replacement having been the only alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, a connector has been developed which eliminates many of the undesirable features and disadvantages of the known prior art. A minimum-voltage drop across the connector, in addition to the incorporation of means to accommodate an acceptable engaging or disengaging force, is obtainable by using the present invention. Briefly, the connector uses a current-conductive element and a friction ring to link a plug to a receptacle and thereby conduct current, a minimum of force being required to engage or disengage the plug and receptacle. The plug and receptacle, in accordance with the present invention, has a housing which is formed with a number of separable parts, permitting the components to be replaced with a minimum amount of disassembly. Yet, a housing assembly for the connector is provided which is inherently resistant to accidental disassembly during use.

Briefly, the present invention is directed to a connector that includes a current-carrying cable having a contact pin thereon. A means for conducting current engages both the contact pin and a terminal pin. A friction ring grips the terminal pin for preventing disengagement. All the components are supported and encased by a nonconductive housing.

The invention extends to a repairable connector for supporting a current-carrying cable and includes joint and separable inner housings encircling and supportmg the cable. A casing encircles and grips the inner housings to prevent their separation and inadvertent removal of the cable. a

More specifically, the connector according to the invention includes a housing for supporting a current-conducting cable. A contact pin is coupled to the cable for conducting current from the connector to a terminal pin which is mounted upon a device for receiving current. The connector includes a plurality of inner housings, each having a series of semicircular grooves extending along the current-conducting cable or replacement of contact pins attached to the cable.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent considering the attached drawings and following description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable included in an assembly with a plug and receptacle constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1A is an exploded view of a housing for a plug constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 4 and showing a plug constructed according to the present invention, FIG. 2 being rotated 180 with respect to FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3 is a view looking in the direction of line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial exploded perspective view of a contact pin and current conducting device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation of a friction ring assembly used in the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of the friction ring shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of a receptacle constructed in accordance with the present invention and coupled to a current-carrying cable;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of inner housings and a casing used in the plug shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in FIG. 1, a cable assembly 5 constructed according to the invention includes a plug 10 coupled to a receptacle 110 through a series of

cables

12, 14, 16, 17, and 18.

Referring now to FIGS. 14, the plug 10 is used to conduct current to a receptacle 21 (shown in phantom in FIG. 2) from three

power cables

12, 14, and 16 and a control cable 18. The receptacle 21 is connected to a conventional aircraft (not shown). An internal ground cable 17 is coupled through structure later described to a terminal pin 17A (FIG. 3) on the receptacle 21. Similarly, the

power cables

12, 14, and 16 are respectively linked to individual terminal pins 12A, 14A, and 16A and the control cable 18 is coupled to the terminal pins 18A and 18B of the receptacle 21.

The plug 10 of the present invention serves to conduct current to the receptacle 21. It serves also to prevent accidental removal of the plug from the receptacle by means hereinafter described once it is placed in a current transfer position. The plug 10 is constructed so that it may be disassembled and the interior repaired or re placed.

The plug :10 illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 uses three power cables, one internal ground cable, and two control cables. This specific plug is intended for application to a conventional ground support cart (not shown) used for a conventional aircraft (not shown). While this particular cable arrangement is particularly adapted to aircraft-type installations, the invention is not limited to the number or the type of cables used in conjunction with the plug nor in the particular configuration of the plug. For example, the plug while illustrated in a general rectangular configuration may be of circular or other convenient crosssection. The described invention can also be used in many and varying types of installation. The number or the variety of cables used with the present invention is not limited to the examples as illustrated and the connector 4 illustrated is given by way of example rather than by way of limitation.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 1A and 2, the plug 10 includes a housing 20 formed from a flexible, tubular, outer casing 22 having a rectangular cross-section and enveloping a cable seal 24, and three

inner housings

26, 28, and 30. All parts of the housing 20 are formed from a flexible material such as an elastomer or flexible plastic material and in all cases must be a dielectric which would tend to insulate and protect an exposed current-conducting device from the weather. The housing 20 is constructed to grip each of the

cables

12, 14, 16, and 17 and the control cable 18 and so as to hold them rigidly in position when the plug 10' is forced upon the receptacle 21. In the alternative, the housing 20 is constructed to facilitate its disassembly in a manner best illustrated in FIG. 1A, thereby permitting ease of repair.

The cable seal 24 is formed with five

openings

32, 34, 36, 38, and 40 as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The

power cables

12, 14, 16 and the ground cable 17 each have an outer sheath of resilient abrasion resistant material 42-45, respectively, which are normally semiconducti ve in nature. Inner sheaths 4211-4511 of resilient electrical insulating material act to electrically isolate the

cables

12, 14, 16 and 17 from their respective outer sheaths. Control cable 18 has an outer sheath 46 made in a manner similar to the other cables, except that two insulated wires are contained in one inner sheath 46a. The sheath covers the respective cables and terminates in flush relation to an interior surface 48 of the cable seal 24, which extends inwardly within the outer casing 22. Each of the

openings

32, 34 and 40 has a pair of inwardlyextending

annular ribs

32A and 32B, 34A and 34B, and 40A and 40B, respectively. These ribs tend to deform the insulation on each of the

cables

16, 17, and 18 and thereby act as a compression seal. The cable seal 24 has a similar type of inwardly-directed ribs in the

openings

36 and 38 which accept

power cables

12 and 14 and, while not illustrated, grip them in a similar manner.

As best shown in FIG. 1A, the inner housing 28 is centrally located between the two mating

inner housings

26 and 30 to form, when joined in abutting relation, a composite housing having an overall configuration adapted for acceptance within the sleeve 22. The inner housing 26 has a series of

semicircular grooves

32C, 34C, and 400 which are contiguous with a series of

semiconcular grooves

32D, 34D, and 40D formed on an abutting surface of the inner housing 28. It is noted that the numerical sufiix of each of the semicircular grooves designates that like prefixes are disposed adjacent to other grooves with other like sufiices. The inner housing 28 also has a side wall 52 having a pair of semicircular grooves 36C and 38C extending along a portion of the wall. The inner housing 30 has, on a side wall 54 which mates with the side wall 52 of the inner housing 28, a pair of

semicircular grooves

36D and 38D therein being respectively contiguous with the semicircular grooves 36C and 38C in the inner. housing 28. The grooves and all of the

inner housings

26, 28, and 30 are curvilinear in shape for purposes of arranging the cables which are disposed,

within the grooves in an expeditious manner and help prevent undue bending of the cables when assembled within the connector.

The inner housing 28 includes an additional groove 34D which extends from a side wall 50 through the housing body and the second side wall 52. This type of construction permits the cable which extends within this modate the particular number of cables contained within only this plug.

As best shown in FIGS. 1A and 3, the inner housing 28 has a portion at one of its ends shaped as a hammer head, as indicated by the numeral 56. It has a cross-section which is otherwise approximately the same as that of the cable seal 24 and is shaped to completely fill and engage the interior of the tubular casing 22. This hammer head feature of the invention substantially prevents moisture leakage between the inner housings and the tubular sleeve. The hammer head portion 56 has a series of

openings

32E, 34E, 36E, 38E, 40E, and 40F, respectively accepting the

terminals

16A, 17A, 12A, 14A, 18A, and 18B.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 5, 6 and 7, the power cable 16 has a portion of the electrical insulating sheath 58 stripped back to expose a section of wire strands 60. A contact pin 62 is provided with a skirt 64 and a cavity 66 which accepts the wire strand 60 and serves to attach the contact pin to the power cable 16. The pin 62 is crimped, soldered, and otherwise fixedly attached to the wire strand 60. The opposite end of the pin 62 terminates within a cavity 68 which is an extension of the groove 32D. The pin 62 (as a typical example) includes a post 70 integrally formed on the skirt 64 and terminating in a flange 72 with a spherical head 74 projecting centrally from the flange. The pin 62 is held in place by the post 70 mating with a necked down portion of the groove 32D, the spherical head 74 being retained in alignment with the opening 32B, and the terminal pin 16A when the connector is mounted on the receptacle 21. The post 70 includes an annular seal 61 disposed about its circumference. This seal bears against the groove surface in the

housings

26, 28 and 30, as the case may be. These seals 61 isolate the interior of the plug from outside moisture and dirt which may accumulate on the heads of the pins.

The means for conducting electrical current from the contact pin 62 to the terminal pin 16A takes the form of a sleeve assembly 76. The sleeve assembly 76 is formed from four

split sleeve members

76A, 76B, 76C, and 76D which define an expandable tubular sleeve adapted to engage the spherical head 74 of the contact pin 62 and the terminal pin 16A for conducting current from one pin to the other with the least voltage drop. The number of split sleeve members can be varied dependent upon the amount of current carried by the contact pin and its physical size. The sleeve assembly 76 is held in place by a pair of annular-shaped coil springs 73 and 75 which encircle the split sleeve members. Each sleeve member has an internal longitudinally curved surface 77 which permits the terminal pin 16A to be misaligned either during or after insertion while maintaining, nevertheless, contact with the sleeve assembly 76. The flexibility of the sleeve assembly 76 achieves this result without the loss of continuity. The split-sleeve assembly is disclosed in detail in the patent to Cole 3,064,226 issued on Nov. 13, 1962.

For purposes of retaining the plug 10 upon the receptacle 21, a friction ring assembly 78 (FIGS. 5, 6, and 7) is pressed upon the terminal pin 16A and retained thereon by friction to permit the entire plug to be suspended from the receptacle. The friction ring assembly 78 is supported by the inner housing 28 and includes an annular friction ring 79 of U-shaped cross-section, an annular retainer 83 encompassing the open portion of the U-shape, and a resilient annular member 84 disposed within an annular groove defined in the external periphery of the friction ring and interiorly of the retainer ring. A slot 80 cut through the cross-section of the ring 79 permits the ring assembly to expand from a normal position to a flexed position. The normal position of the ring assembly exists when the assembly is disengaged from the terminal pin and the flexed position of the ring assembly is obtained when the terminal pin is forced through the ring 79. This ring has a first innermost cylindrical surface 81 which mates with the terminal pin 16A and has a relief portion 82 which prevents the mate rial adjacent the slot from digging into or gripping the terminal pin with a point contact. It also assists in permitting the cylindrical surface 81 to engage the pin with a calibrated force, adjusted by width of the relief portion 82. The annular retainer 83 extends around the annular ring 79 for the purpose of limiting the movement of the ring past its flexed position. The resilient annular member 84 is formed from a conventional silastic compound and is preferably secured to both the ring 79 and the retainer 83 for purposes of coupling these two components together. By changing the size of the cylindrical surface 81 on the friction ring 79, and by increasing or decreasing the thickness of the flanges on the U-shaped cross section, the particular force required to force the friction ring assembly upon the terminal pin can be varied in a proportional amount.

The friction ring assembly 78 is insulated from the sleeve assembly 76 by an annular insulated ring 86 which is disposed between the ring and the assembly. The sleeve assembly 76 can be formed from a low resistance material such as silver plated copper while the friction ring 78 can be formed from a high resistance material such as stainless steel which will resist flexing of the ring through repeated use of the connector.

While not illustrated, the remaining

cables

12, 14, and 17 each have a contact pin, sleeve assembly, friction ring and insulating ring substantially identical to the just described construction described and illustrated with respect to FIGS. 2 and 5.

The control cable 18, as shown in FIG. 2, is divided into two parts within the plug 10 by removal of a portion of the abrasion sheath 46, to expose a pair of separate

insulated cables

90 and 92. A set of contact pins 94 and 96 are respectively mounted upon the

cables

90 and 92 in much the same manner as the contact pin 62 is mounted on the power cable 16. Current conducting means in the form of sleeve assemblies 98 and 100 are used to couple the contact pins 94 and 96 to the terminal pins 18A and 18B, which extend from the receptacle 21.

For purposes of retaining the

inner housings

26, 28, and 30 and the cable seal 24 within the casing 22, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of flanges 102 and 104 are extended radially inwardly from either end of the casing 22. The flange .102 is substantially rectangular in cross-section and mates with a corresponding step 103 formed around the periphery of the cable seal 24. To remove the cable seal 24 from the casing 22, the flange 102 must be deformed during either assembly or disassembly. In a like manner, the flange 104 mates With a similar shaped step 105 on the periphery of the hammerhead portion 56 of the inner housing 28. The flange 104 is formed with a slight undercut to prevent the expansion of the inner housing 28 past an open end of the sleeve 22, the flange 104 thereby serving as a stop. The inner housing 28 and the mating

inner housings

26 and 30 are normally inserted through the end of the sleeve adjacent to the flange 102.

To keep the plug 10 in an assembled condition, an adhesive (not shown), such as a conventional thermoplastic resin, is applied around the flanges 102 and 104, bonding the respective flanges to the cable seal 24 and to the inner housing 28, The plug 10 is repairable. Thus, it is contemplated that the cable seal 24 and the

inner housings

26, 28, and 30 are all removable from the sleeve 22 for disassembly of the cables and replacement or repair of any of the components. In repairing the plug 10, it is necessary to break any adhesive bond at the flanges .102 and 104 to permit removal of the cable seal 24 and the

inner housings

26, 28, and 30. Typically, the plug is first heated by a conventional heat source (not shown) to soften the adhesive. Thereafter the plug can be disassembled, repaired, and reassembled. This repairability is an important feature of the present invention in that the connector is neither complex nor inherently expensive to fabricate. Heretofore the connectors of the prior art were not constructed in a manner in which they were easily disassembled without destroying one or more parts of a housing which encases the connector. Accordingly, it is readily apparent that construction according to the present invention has advantages which are not present in the known prior art.

In using the present invention, the assembled plug 10 is disposed in proximity to the receptacle 21 such that the

openings

32E, 34E, 36E, 40E, and 40F are respectively aligned wit-h the

terminals

16A, 17A, 12A, 14A, 18A, and 18B. The plug as a whole is forced against the receptacle 21 until the respective terminals enter the Openings and the terminal pins engage the respective friction rings. The plug 10 is aligned with the receptacle and, as a typical example, the terminal 16A enters the plug .10 through the opening 32E. It is forced past the friction ring 79 until the ring flexes sufficient to permit the pin 16A to pass therethrough and enter the interior of the sleeve assembly 76. Force of the plug against the receptacle is continued until the inner housing 28 prevents further movement. In this position, the friction ring 79 resists removal of the plug 10 from the receptacle 21 either by vibration or by forces accidentally applied to the plug, unless such forces are sufliciently great to overcome the holding capability of the friction ring 79.

Referring now to FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, the receptacle 110 is coupled to all of the

cables

12, 14, 16, 17, and 18. The receptacle includes three separate inner housings 1.12, 114, 116, and a cable seal 118, all being contained by a rectangular, tubular casing 120. The cable 17 has a contact pin 122 mounted on an extremity, the contact pin being supported by the

housings

112 and 114 and extending into a cavity 123 formed at an end of the casing 120 and inner housing 114. Each of the

power cables

12, 14, and 16 has a similar contact pin 122 coupled thereto. The control cable 18 is split into two

individual cables

90 and 92, each having a contact pin 124 coupled at an extremity.

The configuration of the cable seal .118 and the

inner housings

112, 114, and 116 are basically the same as the comparable components found in the plug illustrated in FIGS. 1A-4. Due to similar shape and function, identification of the specific openings and cavities is not deemed necessary.

Cavity opening 123 formed on the interior of the casing 120 and defined by the inner housing 114 is large enough to accept a second plug 130 to facilitate engagement of the contact pins .122 and 124. The nature of the contact action is similar to the action between the plug and receptacle and 21, as illustrated in FIG. 2, and serves the same function.

An inwardly extending lip 132 is formed at one end of the casing 120 and extends so as to contact the second plug 130 and retain and seal it in position when it is engaged upon the receptacle 110.

While a particular configuration of the plug and receptacle, along with power cables and control cables, is illustrated in FIGS. 1-10, it is to be understood that the number of cables in the particular configuration of the plug and receptacle may be varied in accordance with the particular function and desired results to be obtained.

What is claimed is:

1. Aconnector for engaging a terminal pin comprising:

a cable adapted to carry current;

a contact pin connected to said cable;

means for conducting current between said contact pin and the terminal pin;

a friction ring adapted to grip the terminal pin and resist removal of the terminal pin from said current conducting means;

an insulated bushing disposed between said friction ring and said current conducting means; and

a housing supporting said current conducting means,

said insulated bushing and said friction ring.

2. A connector for engaging a terminal pin as defined in claim 1 in which:

the housing is split through a portion that exposes the friction ring, the current-conducting means, and the cable in a manner to expose these parts for purposes of removal and repair.

3. A connector for engaging a terminal pin as defined in claim 1 in which:

the housing is formed from an insulating material which encapsulates the friction ring, the current carrying means and the cable.

4. A connector for engaging a terminal pin as defined in claim 1 in which:

the friction ring is annular and is formed with a pair of parallel annular spaced apart flanges extending radially from the ring and being split to permit flexing of the ring.

5. A connector for engaging a terminal pin as defined in claim 1 wherein:

the current conducting means includes a plurality of metallic sleeves being retained on the terminal pin and the contact pin by a spring means; and

the metallic sleeves having a longitudinal interior curved surface which engages the terminal pin which provides point contact between the current-conducting means and the terminal pin when the connector is misaligned with the terminal pin.

6. A connector for engaging a terminal pin comprising:

a cable having a layer of insulation and including a current-carrying wire;

a contact pin engaging the current-carrying wire in the cable and including a spherical head arranged with the terminal pin;

a current-conductive sleeve including a plurality of separable metallic sleeves extending across and engaging the spherical head of the contact pin and the terminal pin with the sleeves being forced against the pins by a pair of coil springs encircling the sleeves to permit movement of the pins out of alignment with each other without losing continuity;

an annular friction ring gripping the terminal pin and spaced from the current conductive sleeve and being split to permit flexing of the ring as it is moved on and off the terminal pin,

the friction ring including a pair of spaced-apart annular flanges extending radially from the ring and adding stiffness to the ring;

a nonconductive ring encircling the terminal pin and disposed between the friction ring and the current conductive sleeve; and

a housing encasing the contact pin, the conductive sleeve and the fiction ring and gripping the insulation of the cable such that the connector moves as a unit when it is forced upon or pulled off the terminal PHI.

7. A friction ring assembly for an electrical connector comprising:

an annulus having a U-shaped cross section and being split to permit the annulus to flex;

a retainer disposed about and in uniform spaced relationship to the periphery of said annulus for limiting the expansive fiexure of said annulus; and

a resilient annular member disposed within said U- shaped cross section between said retainer and said annulus and adapted to hold said retainer in uniform spaced relationship to said annulus.

8. A friction ring assembly for an electrical connector as defined in claim 7, the ring assembly gripping an electrical pin in which:

the annular ring has a slot through the cross section to permit the ring to flex from a normal position to a flexed position, and

the ring has in innermost cylindrical surface and a relief portion is cut from the cylindrical surface in the vicinity of the slot to maintain contact of the connector pin around the entire cylindrical surface of the ring.

9. A device for electrically connecting a cable assembly having a plurality of cables and a plurality of terminal pins, said device comprising:

a plurality of dielectric inner housings wherein a central housing portion and portions mated in abutting relation therewith have complementary semicircular grooves therein for engaging said cables, a plurality of said grooves having a nonlinear longitudinal axis whereby said cables can be positioned without imposing stresses thereon;

means disposed within the complementary grooves of said inner housing for electrically connecting said cables and said terminal pins, said connecting means adapted to removably receive said cables and said terminal pins in spaced relationship and accommodate misalignment of said terminal pins without interfering with electrical continuity; and

a dielectric casing surrounding and encasing said inner housings, said casing adapted to hold said inner housings in complementary relationship and allow the removal thereof without destruction.

10. A device in accordance with claim 9 wherein one of said inner housings has a laterally extending end overlapping the other inner housings, said laterally extending end having openings therein in complementary relationship to said grooves thereby providing an integral surface through which said terminal pins enter said grooves.

11. A device in accordance with claim 9 wherein said connecting means comprises:

a plurality of current conducting sleeve members disposed about said cable and said terminal pin;

said sleeve members defining a tubular assembly having an internal diameter less than said cable and said terminal pin when said cable and said terminal pin are removed therefrom; and

10 means adapted to resiliently retain said sleeve members in point contact with said cable and said terminal pin. 12. A device in accordance with claim 9 further comprising:

a nonconductive ring disposed adjacent the terminal pin receiving end of said connecting means, the opening in said ring and said connecting means being complementary.

13. A device in accordance with claim 12 further comprising:

a friction ring disposed adjacent the free side of said nonconductive ring, said friction ring being split to permit expansion and contraction about said terminal pin when said pin is passed through said friction ring into said connecting means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 0 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner P. C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.