US3543219A

US3543219A - Electrical connector housing

Info

Publication number: US3543219A
Application number: US732939A
Authority: US
Inventors: Riccardo Pautrie
Original assignee: AMP Inc
Current assignee: TE Connectivity Corp
Priority date: 1967-06-15
Filing date: 1968-05-29
Publication date: 1970-11-24
Anticipated expiration: 1987-11-24
Also published as: GB1171724A

Description

Nov 24, 1970 R. PAUTRIE 3,543,219

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HOUSING I Filed May 29, 1968 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ZNVA'NTOR (Qlcceeoo PHUTRlE R. PAUTRIE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HOUSING Nov 24, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 29, 1968 [/V VHV 70? Q \cceRDo PHUTRiE United States Patent 3,543,219 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HOUSING Riccardo Pautrie, Turin, Italy, assignor, by mesne assignments, to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 29, 1968, Ser. No. 732,939 Claims priority, applicatitzm Italy, June 15, 1967,

s, 94 Int. Cl. H01r 13/54 U.S. Cl. 339-91 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an electrical connector housing for panel mounting.

Various forms of cosnector houings are known which are molded from platic insulating material and they are integrally formed with resilient members for latching the housing in a panel aperture.

An electrical connector housing according to the present invention comprises a body of resilient insulating material formed externally with a projection presenting a rear facing shoulder for abutting one side or surface of a panel at an edge of a panel aperture, the projection being resiliently depressible within the relaxed profile of the body, and rearwardly of the projection a generally V- shaped yoke member presenting a forward facing shoulder for abutting a rear surface of the panel, arms of the yoke extending rearwardly from the shoulder in divergent manner, ends of the arms remote from the forward facing shoulder being integral with the body and the shoulder at the junction of the arms being spaced outwardly of the body and of the ends of the arms remote from the shoulder, whereby rearward deflection of the shoulder of the yoke member relative to the body effects tortional deflection of the yoke arms.

In operation the body is passed through a panel aperture by depression of the projection until the forward facing shoulder of the yoke engages the rear surface of the panel. Further insertion pressure causes flexure of the yoke arms so that the forward facing shoulder is deflected outwards and rearwards relative to the body until the rear facing shoulder emerges from the panel aperture to engage the rear facing shoulder with the front surface of the panel.

Preferably, the body has a generally circular crosssection at the panel aperture and the rear facing shoulder is disposed at the rear end of a rearwardly and outwardly inclined resilient flap. Suitably the body is provided with a pair of diametrically opposite flaps and a pair of diametrically opposite yoke members disposed orthogonally so that the forward facing shoulders alter- 3,543,219 Patented Nov. 24, 1970 ice nate with the rear facing shoulders at quadrant intervals around the body.

An object of the invention is to provide a panel mounting housing having torsionally deflectable yoke means.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a panel mounting housing having rib means for engagement with an edge of a panel aperture to center the housing therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide a panel mounting housing having stop means to limit deflection of the yoke means.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a panel mounting housing having latch arms for latching engagement with a complementary housing.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which there are shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention; it is to be understood, however, that these embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but are given for purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in various forms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying partly diagrammatic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector housing mounted in a panel aperture, part of the panel being cut away to expose the housing parts more clearly;

FIG. 2 is a side view to a reduced scale of the housing of FIG. 1 partly in section and additionally showing a second mating housing exploded therefrom;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the housing of FIG. 1 with part of the panel cut away to expose part of the mounting means of the housing;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the housings of FIG. 2 in mated relation but removed from the panel and rotated and FIG. 5' is a fragmentary view of an alternative embodiment of the invention.

The housing 1 of FIGS. 1 to 4 comprises a generally straight-circular cylinder of resilient plastic insulating material defining a body having a connector passageway 2 for receiving an electrical connector. At its forward or upper end, as seen in FIG. 1, the housing 1 is formed with a pair of diametrically opposite slots 3, open at their forward ends and at their rear closed ends terminating forwardly of the panel 4. The material between the slots forms a pair of diametrically opposite resilient arm 5. Narrow slots 5a on each side of each of the arms 5 extend below the lower end of slot 3 to extend the effective lengths of the arms 5.

The arms 5 have centrally disposed narrow tabs 6 at their forward or upper ends which with the arm portions on opposite sides are chamfered inwardly on their inner surfaces to facilitate engagement with a complementary housing 9. The arms 5 below the tab 6 are formed internally with lateral slots 7 extending circumferentially in arcuate manner and arranged to engage a complementary annular collar 8 of the complementary housing 9. The housing 9 is formed as a straight-circular cylinder having a lower end portion for penetrating the upper end of cavity 2. The collar 8 is tapered downwardly and the upper and lower surfaces of slots 7 are inclined upwards and outwards, the upper surfaces of collar 8 being formed in complementary manner to improve latching engagement between the arms and the collar 8.

'Each arm 5 is provided externally with a resilient flap 10 which extends rearwardly and outwardly, rear ends of the flaps 10 presenting rear facing shoulders for engaging the upper surface of panel 4.

The housing 1 is formed below the flaps 10 with a pair of diametrically opposite yoke members 11 of generally inverted V-form arranged orthogonally in relation to the diametrically opposite flaps at quadrant intervals in relation to the fiap's 10. Each yoke member 11 has a pair of downwardly extending divergent arms 12 which extend arcuately in circumferential manner, as seen in FIG. 3. At the junction of the arms 12 each yoke member 11 presents a forward facing shoulder 16 for engaging a rear surface of the panel 4. The arms 12 at their lower ends are integrally formed with the housing 1 through radial projections 13 which serve to stand the lower ends of the arms 12 away from the general cylindrical profile of the housing 1. Each stand-ofl projection 13 has a pair of upwardly directed

pillar portions

14 and 15 forming ribs on the housing. The radially inner pillar portion 14 is of generally square cross-section and extends upwards beyond the radially outer pillar portion 15. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inner pillar portions are arranged to extend through the panel aperture and, as seen in FIG. 4, there are four evenly circumferentially distributed portions 14 which engage the edge of the panel around the aperture to locate the housing 1 centrally of the aperture.

The radially outer pillar portions 15 are formed with upper flat surfaces for engaging a lower surface of the panel 4. The pillar portions 15 terminate below the upper shoulder surfaces 16 provided by the yoke members when, as seen in FIG. 4, the yoke members are in relaxed condition.

In assembling the housing 1 into a panel aperture, the housing is pushed upwardly through the aperture to engage upper ends 6 of the arms 5 within the aperture. Edges of the aperture engage the upper ends of flaps 10 to cam flaps 10 and the arms 5 inwards by flexure of the arms 5 about their lower ends and of the flaps 10 about their upper ends until the flaps 10 and the arms 5 are disposed within a cylindrical envelope corresponding in diameter to the panel aperture. The lower ends of flaps 10 are depressed between adjacent pillar portions 14. On continued upward movement of the housing 1 in relation to the panel 4, the upper shoulder surfaces 16 of the yoke members 11 engage the underside of the panel 4 to bend the arms 12 of the yoke members about the projections 13. In this way the shoulders 16 are deflected radially outwards and downwards by resilient deformation of the yoke members 11 and the projections 13. The arms 12 are deflected in torsion as well as bending. The lower ends of the flaps 10 emerge from the aperture at the upper side of the panel 4 and spring radially outwards to latch the housing 1 in the aperture, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Continued upward movement of the housing 1 in relation to the panel engages the upper ends of pillar portions 15 with the underside of the panel 4 and this serves not only to stabilize the housing in the panel aperture against rocking but also provides means avoiding overstres'sing of the yoke members 11.

Attempts to pull the housing 1 downwardly from the aperture result in further playing out of the flaps 10 thereby securely holding the housing in the panel. Insertion of complementary housing 9 into mating engagement with the housing 1, as seen in FIG. 4, prevents inward movement of arms 5 and therefore serves to lock the housing 1 within the panel aperture. To withdraw the housing 1 from the panel, the housing 9 must first be removed and the flaps 10 and arms 5 deflected radially inwards within the aperture envelope so that the housing can be withdrawn downwardly.

To accommodate panels of greater thickness, the standoff projections 13 may be slotted, as indicated in broken lines at 17 in FIG. 5, to increase the flexibility of the projections 13 and thereby allow greater rearward movement of the shoulders 16 without overstressing arms 12 of the yoke members by bending of the projections 13. The provision of slots 17 effectively delays operation of the stops 14.

It will, therefore, be appreciated that the aforementioned and other desirable objects have been achieved; however, it should be emphasized that the particular embodiments of the invention, which are shown and described herein, are intended as merely illustrated and not as restrictive of the invention.

The invention is claimed in accordance with the follow- 1. An electrical connector housing compirsing a body of resilient insulating material provided externally with projection means presenting a rear-facing shoulder for abuting one side of a panel at an edge of a panel aperture, the projection means being resiliently depressible within the relaxed profile of the body, general-1y V-shaped yoke means presenting a forward-facing shoulder disposed rearwardly of said projection means for abutting another side of the panel, arms of the yoke means extending rearwardly from the forward-facing shoulder in divergent manner, and ends of the arms remote from the forward-facing shoulder being integral with the body and the forwardfacing shoulder at the junction of the arms being spaced outwardly of the body and of the ends of the arms remote from the forward-facing shoulder, whereby rearward deflection of the forward-facing shoulder of the yoke means relative to the body effects torsional deflection of the yoke arms.

2. A housing as claimed in claim 1, in which the body is of generally straight-circular cylindrical form and has a pair of diametrically opposite projection means and a pair of diametrically opposite yoke means disposed orthogonally so that the projection means alternate with the yoke means at quadrant intervals around the housing, arms of the yoke means extending circumferentially of the housing in arcuate manner.

3. A housing as claimed in claim 1, in which the housing is formed at its forward end with a pair of diametrically opposite slots open at their forward ends and defining between the slots a pair of resilient arms for latching engagement with a complementary housing between the arms, the projection means being formed externally of the resilient arms.

4. A housing as claimed in claim 1, in which the projection means comprise resilient flaps extending rearwardly and outwardly from the arms.

5. A housing as claimed in claim 1, in which axially extending ribs are provided on the housing at opposite sides of each of the projection means, the ribs being arranged to engage edges of the panel aperture and the projection means being resiliently depressible between adjacent ribs.

6. A housing as claimed in claim 1, in which the yoke means at the junctions of the arms with the housing have stand-off portions to space the yoke shoulders radially outwards of the housing profile.

7. A housing as claimed in claim 6, in which said standoff portions connecting the yoke means to the housing are slotted to increase their flexibility and allow increased rearward movement of the forward facing shoulders of the yoke means.

8. A housing as claimed in claim 1, in which a stop member is arranged adjacent the yoke means to engage the other side of the panel to limit deflection of the yoke means.

5 9. A housing as claimed in claim 8, in which stop members are provided at the ends of the arms of a pair of yoke means to present four stop members evenly distributed around the housing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 8/1967 Churla 33949 1/1968 Pauza 174138 US. Cl. X.R.