ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS

• US 3,665,371 A
• Filed: 05/19/1970
• Issued: 05/23/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Amphenol Corporation
• Original Assignee: Jack Cripps
• Inventors: Cripps, Jack
• Primary Examiner(s): McGlynn, Joseph H.
• Application Number:
  US05/038,701
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 339/59-61,89,90,177 285/387,388,DIG.22
• US Class Current: 439/319
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/623 Casing or ring with helicoidal groove
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 285/921 Snap-fit

Abstract

Electrical plug-and-socket connectors have plastics locking sleeves, preferably colored for coding, for couping and retaining the connectors to mating connectors, and the sleeves can yield outwardly, have some resilience and are arranged to interlock onto the respective connector bodies with a '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'snap'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' action when the sleeves are pushed onto their bodies in assembly. In one connector, the body carries a washer that is a snap-in fit in a groove in the resilient locking sleeve, and in another connector, the resilient locking sleeve has an inwardly-pointing lip which snaps into a space between two shoulders on the body. The sleeve can be one-half of a bayonet- or screw-type coupling.

Claims

1. An electrical connector adapted for uniting with and locking to a mating connector, comprising:

a retaining outer sleeve member adapted to engage a mating connector to secure both said connectors together, an inner member located within said sleeve member, said sleeve member surrounding and being movable relative to said inner member, two spaced abutments on said sleeve member, two spaced abutments on said inner member, said sleeve member having at least a portion of resilient plastics material containing said two abutments of said sleeve member, said portion of resilient plastics material being radially outwardly yieldable, whereby during assembly said sleeve member can be pushed over said inner member and said portion of resilient plastics material yields radially outwardly to permit the two abutments of one of said members to snap into a trapped position between the two abutments of the other of said members thereby locking the two members together, said two abutments which snap into said trapped position being opposite faces of a washer which embraces and is retained by said inner member, said two abutments of said sleeve member being the opposite faces of an internal circumferential groove provided in said plastics portion to accommodate the peripheral part of said washer.

2. A connector according to claim 1, wherein said sleeve member and said washer are axially movable between limits relative to said inner member when said washer is in said trapped position, there being two fixed abutment surfaces formed by shoulders on the external surface of said inner member, said shoulders being spaced further apart than the thickness of said washer whereby said shoulders permit limited axial movement of said washer therebetween and whereby said shoulders retain said washer on said inner member.

3. A connector according to claim 1, wherein a lead is provided to assist yielding of said plastics portion during assembly, said lead consisting of an outwardly-flared mouth at one end of said plastics portion and which is contacted by the periphery of said washer as said sleeve member is pushed over said inner member, whereby said plastics portion is only forced radially outwardly with ease while said washer rides across said flared surface of said mouth in the direction of said accommodating internal circumferential groove.

4. An electrical connector adapted for uniting with and locking to a mating connector, comprising:

a retaining outer sleeve member adapted to engage a mating connector to secure both said connectors together, an inner member located within said sleeve member, said sleeve member surrounding and being movable relative to said inner member, two spaced abutments on said sleeve member, two spaced abutments on said inner member, said sleeve member having at least a portion of resilient plastics material containing said two abutments of said sleeve membEr, said portion of resilient plastics material being radially outwardly yieldable, whereby during assembly said sleeve member can be pushed over said inner member and said portion of resilient plastics material yields radially outwardly to permit the two abutments of one of said members to snap into a trapped position between the two abutments of the other of said members thereby locking the two members together, said sleeve member being axially movable between limits relative to said inner member when said two abutments in one of said members are trapped between said two abutments of the other of said members, and said connector including biasing means operative between said inner member and said sleeve member to urge said sleeve member along said inner member towards a position for securing said connector to a mating connector.

5. A connector according to claim 4, wherein said biasing means is a spring which contacts one of a pair of shoulders, forming fixed abutments, on the external surface of said inner member, thereby to urge said sleeve member in a direction away from said one shoulder, said one shoulder being a pair of split washers held in a groove in the external surface of said inner member.

6. A connector according to claim 4, wherein said biasing means comprise a spring which contacts one of a pair of shoulders, providing fixed abutments, that are integrally formed on the external surface of the said inner member thereby to urge said sleeve member away from said one shoulder.

7. A connector according to claim 6, wherein said biasing means comprise at least one split, wavy-spring washer.

8. A connector according to claim 6, wherein said biasing means includes a coil-type spring capable of being wound onto said inner member in the space between said pair of shoulders.

9. A connector according to claim 6, wherein one of said two abutments between which the other said two abutments snap into said trapped position is a face of a washer which embraces said inner member and is retained between said shoulders providing said fixed abutments thereon, said washer being a split-ring device capable of being opened and wound around said inner member into the space between said shoulders.

10. A connector according to claim 4, wherein said sleeve member forms one-half of a bayonet-type coupling.

11. A connector according to claim 10, wherein said sleeve member is helically grooved or slotted to co-operate with the other half of a bayonet-type coupling carried by a mating electrical connector.