CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY

• US 3,569,908 A
• Filed: 12/11/1968
• Issued: 03/09/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emerson Electric Company
• Original Assignee: Arthur I. Appleton
• Inventors: Appleton, Arthur I.
• Application Number:
  US04/782,830
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• US Class Current: 439/136
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/707 interlocked with contact members or counterpart
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/911 Safety, e.g. electrical disconnection required before opening housing

Abstract

An electrical receptacle having a power energized safety-lock to prevent insertion, or withdrawal, of a second component such as a receptacle cover, or a plug for connection therewith, while the receptacle is energized. Energy for urging a plug-engaging finger into a lock position in which it can obstruct the movement of the plug in or out of the receptacle is provided by a strong spring. However, only a small amount of energy is required to maintain, or lock the plug-engaging finger in this lock position when, as in accordance with this invention, a boltlike obstruction is moved to block the release-motion of the plug-engaging finger. The bolt is moved to its lock position by a solenoid which is energized in parallel with the receptacle contacts.

Claims

1. In an electrical receptacle and plug, the receptacle having a first set of electrical contacts adapted to be energized by connection to a power source, the plug having a second set of electrical contacts adapted to be energized by connection to said power source through said first set of contacts, the improvement comprising:

a cylindrical collar on said plug, and receiving means for receiving said cylindrical collar into said receptacle, said collar, receiving means, first set of contacts, and second set of contacts being constructed to require partial insertion of said collar into said receiving means before said first and second set of contacts engage;

said collar having a beveled end thereof and having circumferential grooves along its outermost wall, said receptacle having obstructing means for obstructing the path of said cylindrical collar within said receiving means during said initial partial insertion;

resilient means for moving said obstructing means into the path of said collar;

lock means for maintaining said obstructing means in the path of said grooves, said lock means being powered by current supplied to the lock means in parallel with the first set of electrical contacts;

whereby insertion of the cylindrical plug is prevented when the first set of contacts are energized, and whereby the withdrawal of the plug to electrically disconnect the plug from the receptacle is prevented while the first set of contacts are energized.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which the obstructing means comprises a pivotable finger extendable inwardly from said receiving means into the path of the cylindrical plug, spring means for urging the finger in the direction of the plug, plunger means for obstructing the pivoting of the finger out of the path of the plug, said plunger means including an obstruction portion and a shaft portion, said obstruction portion being movable into a first position which obstructs the pivoting of the finger, and being movable to a second position which does not obstruct the pivoting of said finger;

second spring means for urging the plunger means to rest in the second position;

solenoid means for moving said plunger means to said first position whenever the first set of electrical contacts are energized, said solenoid means being energized in parallel with the receptacle leads;

whereby the finger is moved into the path of the cylindrical plug by the first spring means and can be moved out of the path of the cylindrical collar by insertion of said collar when said obstructing portion is in said first position, but cannot be moved out of the path of said collar when the solenoid is energized and the obstructing portion is thereby moved to the second position;

said plunger means being operatively engaged to said solenoid through said shaft portion, the shaft being urged towards the direction of the solenoid by the sealing of the solenoid, the shaft being urged in a direction away from the solenoid by second spring means.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which the plunger means includes an obstructing portion through which the shaft portion passes and includes means for sliding said obstructing portion on said shaft portion, whereby said shaft can move to seal the solenoid when the obstructing portion is restrained in its first position by the finger.

4. In an apparatus including a mating electrical receptacle member and plug member where the members have electrical contacts which interengage when the members are mated, said contacts extending longitudinally of the members, the members moving longitudinally when being mated or being separated, and means including a solenoid to lock the members together when electrical energy is present at the contacts of one member, the improvement wherein said means comprises:

the other of said members having a portion adjacent the one member when the two members are at least partially mated, said portion of said other member defining a plurality of abutment means positioned at intervals longitudinally of said other member;

a detent moveably mounted on said one member for movement between a first position at which it engages said abutment means and a second position at which it is free of said abutment means;

resilient means on said one member and operatively associated with said detent to resiliently urge said detent toward said first position and away from said second position;

a locking bolt moveably mounted in said one member for movement between a first bolt position at which the bolt blocks the movement of the detent away from the first position thereof and a second bolt position at which the detent is free to move away from its first position and to its second position; and

bolt actuating means including said solenoid to move the bolt from its second bolt position and toward its first bolt position when said solenoid is energized and to its second bolt position when said solenoid is deenergized;

whereby there are a plurality of positions of the members with respect to each other at which the members in one direction with respect to each other will be blocked by the detent when the solenoid is energized.

5. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the contacts includes power contacts and control contacts with at least some of the power contacts being longer than the control contacts so that the power contacts engage before the control contacts when the members are moved toward mating position, said plurality of abutment means including one positioned to be engaged by said detent after the power contacts have engaged but before the control contacts have engaged.

6. In an apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said detent comprises an arm pivotally connected to said one member, said bolt being mounted for movemEnt along a line longitudinally of said one member, and said solenoid has an armature axially aligned with said line.