US2944241A - Connector - Google Patents

Description

July 5, 1960 w. J. LoNDELL, JR 2,944,241

CONNECTOR Filed D60. 9, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y INVENTUR.

WILLIAM J. LoNDEL| Jf-2.

WMZ-014..

HTTORNEY Unite States Myinventionf relates to electrical, connectors andl in pars` ticularto connectors possessingquckeconnect. and quickdisconnectufeatlures.

Infthefprior: art, thereshave beemmany attempts to devise: simpleI quick-connect, quick-disconnect connectors. None... of these used elements aref simple and easy tofabricatetand assemble. Various types of release buttons, rotatable elements and other complex mechanisms have beenemployed tov accomplishV the desired results. Accordingly, itis a principal object of my invention to provide at quick-connect, quick. disconnect connector which does not require any push button `releases, rotatable release'- mechanisms or. other.` complex mechanisms.

It 'isfa furtherobject ofmyinvention to provide such a connector'wherein themating elements use .a simple me.- chanical locking device. It i`s"`astill. further object` of my invention tof provide such a' connector wherein `the. mating elements may be dis-A connectedzsimplyfandquickly.;

It isV ai still further*objectof.my.invention to provide suchia` connectorwhich can` bemanufactured easily and economically.

lOther objects and advantagesfof my invention will. be apparent` during .the course` of thefollowing.- description whentakenl in conjunction with'` the accompanying draw ings wherein:

Figure lfisf a side` elevational view of apreferred embodiment of my. invention. showing themale: and` female elements` connected; FigureZ is a crossfsectionalviewalong the-line 2-2of FigureV l,

A Figureanis :terrors-sectional` view.l similar teA that of Figure i2`fshowing. theA twof elements 2in; the locked position,

Figure `ftis'a` crossesectionalview' similar to` that of Figure 2 showingposition l of the disconnect operation,

Figure"'5` is a-cross-sectional View similar to that of Figure 2 showing..position.2 of thedisconnect operation,

Figure 6 is a view of the embodiment of Figure 1 showingA the unitsl disconnected an'dxinwhich the female element istshowninwelevation.andithe. male element Lis shown partly in cross-section,

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view along the line 7-7 of Figure 2,

Figure 8 is a View similar to Figure 1 of a further embodiment of my invention, and

Figure 9 is a View similar to Figure 6 of the embodiment of Figure 8 in which the female element is shown in elevation and the male element is shown in cross-section along the line 9-9 of Figure 8.

In the drawings, wherein, for the purpose of illustration, are shown a preferred embodiment and a further embodime-nt of my invention, the numeral 20 designates .the body of the female connector, generally and the numeral 30 designates the body of the male connector, generally. 20 comprises outer metallicshell 21 of silver-plated beryllium copper or similar material, inner metallic receptable 23 and release spring 27. 23 is preferably formed of aterit silverplatedyberyllium. copper or similar material, and

27. is: preferably made of.spring steel or. like` material'.

Shelli` 21;.is. insulated from receptacle 2-3 byinsulator 25 intozwhichzzi is pressedandheld rmlyandwhich may beiof rubber, plastic` orsimilar; material. V`21is.made. up. ofla. large body portionnwhich isi.. essentially cylindricalin shape and which carries apforward'` bevel. and tapers to smaller .body portion 22 whichrisnlikewise cylindrical in shape .in the regionv surrounding; substantially mostv of. 23. Adjacent'the end of 20, 21 isrenlarged in the .shape of a truncatedconicalelementi 28 suchtthat asharp` ledge 29 is formedfattherpoint at Which'the shape of 21 changes fromthat of 22` tozthat of.28-.. I- prefer to press `itV 28 'over 22 orssilvensolder it thereto b-t22 and 28 may be formedV froni` asinglefpiece otl materialifd`esired. 24 designates the, opening in. 23 whichis designed. toV- receive the .con-1 nector element of the male plug. To insure iirm` conf. nection to the maleelement'` it is best to slot 23 (slotsfnot shown).` Electrical connection'tismaderto 23 by means of electrical Wire 26 which; is welded thereto.

Male connectorfbody 30 comprisesshell. 31 formed of silver-plated brass or similarmaterial, plug 32 which is designedtomate snugly' in' recess 24 ofthe femalezcone nector and which isformedofsolid` beryllium copper, silver-plated. brass'- or` similar material, andspring loci: elements Springs135 areformed of `silvereplated` brass, beryllium copper or.sirnilar:` material. Insulator, 33.V of rubber; plasticV or'similar material` isprovided toinsulate 31 from 32 and 34which is'used to carry'electric'al coninection from 32 tooutside"circuitry` (not shown). 34 is Welded orv soldered to32.y which is:` press liitted. into.33;

Spring lock .elements.35\are. separated from'. eachother byopenings 38; 35 at.their'outer'extren'rities areshaped sorthat surfaces 36 will slide over the. surface. of 281and then spring tonthe` position shown. in Figure` 2 so that ledge 29 restrains the male Yplug from being disconnected from the female receptacle. Rounded surface 37 which is adjacent the end of 35 andjst to the rear of surface 36 is shaped so that it will ft overl and maintain intimate contact with ringr27 in positions `1 and 2.of-the Vdisconnect procedure.

In operation,. connection. is made betweenv the.. two elements by inserting the-maleplugin'ther female'recep= tacle and pushing them together inthe directionof their axes. lf an attempt is made to pullthe' units apart the springf elements 35 willlock against ledge 29 such that they cannot be separated4 by the application Iofanyzreasonable amount of force. To disconnect the" twoselee ments, 30 is pushed toward 20 so .that lock.` elements 35 are pushed outward fromA thel center by the' forward shape of 21 and ring 27 solthatrounded surfaces;37 are in contact with ring 27 as shown in Figure 4 (disconnect position 1). 30 is pulledawayffrom 20 `and spring ele.- rnentssS` are held spread` by ring 27 which remains in contact with 37. At the point shown in Figure 5 (disconnect position 2), 20 and 30 may be easily disconnected by continuing to apply force so that 30 is pulled away from 20 so that elements 35 will be pulled off ring 27 and the units will become separated as' shown in Figure 6. After elements 20 and 30 are separated, elements 35 spring back into position.

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate a further embodiment or" my invention in which locking ring 50 which is carried by 3i), may be moved so as to t into locking groove 53 cut into the outer surface of elements 35. The locking ring may be used `in those applications in which it is necessary to restrain all movement of elements 35. When the locking ring is in place, elements 35 cannot assume the position illustrated in Figure '4 since they are restrained from expanding outwardly from the body of the unit. Stops 51 and 52 are provided to prevent locking ring 50 from Patented July; 5, .1960

olf 'niale connector 30 duringv operation. The.

operation of the embodiment of Figures 8 and 9 is similar 'to that for the embodiment of Figures l through 7 with the addition that locking ring 5o is slid into locking y groove 53T afterfemale connector 20 and :male-fconnector; 3.0"areV mated andflockingr ringlSll is slid out flocling groove 53 beforeattempting to disconnect theV connectors.. Itis also within the contemplation of my invention to utilize ia stop'in lieufof the forward bevel of'Zl which:

will also ,serve to spread elements 35 so that 37 and 27 will make contact with each other.` My invention also contemplates its utilization with multicontactV plugs andA receptacles, both keyed and unkeyed, even though I have4 illustrated and described the principles of -my invention.

in connectionwith single contact plugsand connectors. While Ihave' described my invention by means'of specicl examplesfandin specific embodiments, I` do not wish'to be limited theretoyfor obviousmodiiications will.

occur to those skilled inthe art without departing from the spirit of myinvention or the scope of the's'ubjoined claims. I Y

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A connector comprising in combination a male ele.

ment, a female elementV cooperating therewith and means for making electrical connection to said male and said female element; Vsaid male element comprising a body portion and'at least one conductive pin, said pin being insulated from and extendingbeyond one end of said body portion,V a-t said end a plurality of resilient elements lar to` said pin connecting theend ofsaid beveled surface furthest from'the end Voffsaid resilient velement with the major surface of said resilient element, said beveled sur-k facev carrying a groove at theendthereof furthest from the end of said resilient element; said female element comprising a body portion with a forward'beveled surface forming anV obtusey angle with the major surface of saidhody,`a smaller surface ofi-substantially the same shape'as said body portion and smaller in radius than said body portion extending from said beveled surface toward the end of said female element, a beveled surface at the end of said smaller surface such that its small end forms the end of said female element and its larger end is nearer-the body portion of said female element and is adjacent said `smaller surface thereby forming a lip in the region at which they are contiguous, at least one conducting surface within said outer portions and insulated therefrom and carrying an opening therein, said .2e/M5241A Y l v.

opening being vadapted to receive said'pin of said main Y element and .being greater in length than said pin, a ring.

slidably mounted on said smaller surface and shaped to it -in said recess carried by, said resilient elements of said male element; the portions of said male and Yfemale elements beyond said body portions being of substantially the same length. v

2. A male connector relement comprising a body por- 'tion and. at least one conductive` pin, said pin being insulated vfrom and extending beyond oneend of said body portion, at said end a plurality of Yresilient elements af` xed to said body portion substantially at.`i ts outer perimeter, each said `resilient element being parallel to said` the? end of said resilient elementltowardthe endthe'reof which is affixed to' said body portion, said beveledrsurface: being shorter than the major surface of said resilientrelej-` ment, there being a surface substantially perpendicular to said pin connectingv the end of said beveled surface furthest from the end of said resilient element with thej major surface of said resilient element, said beveled surfaceV carrying a Vgroove at the end thereof furthest from the end of said resilient element shaped to cooperate with a slidable ring carried by a female element which mates with said-male element, and means for'making electricalconnection to said'conductive pin. i f

3. A male connector element as described in claim 2 wherein the outer surfaces of said resilient elements carry a groove shaped to. receive a ring which `is slidably mounted on said rilient elements'.

4. A femalerconnector element comprising a body portion with a forward beveled surface forming an obtuse angle with the major surface of said body, a smallerrsurfk face of subs'tantially'the same shapeas said body portion and smaller in radius than said body portion extending from said beveled surface toward the end ofsaid connector element, a beveled surface at the end of said smaller surface such that its small endforms th'egend of said female connector element and its larger end i=s nearer the body portion of said female connector element and is adjacent said smaller surface thereby forming a Vl-ip in the region at which they are contiguous, at least one conducting surface within said outer portions andtinsulated therefrom and carrying an opening therein, a ring slidably mounted on said smaller surface and shaped to cooperate with a groove carried by a male elementwhich mates with said female element, and means for making electr-ical connection to said conducting surface.

References Cited in the le ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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