Plug and receptacle with separable switch contactors

• US 4,553,000 A
• Filed: 11/14/1983
• Issued: 11/12/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Appleton Electric LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Appleton Electric LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Appleton, Arthur I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moose, Jr., Harry E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ginsburg, Morris
• Application Number:
  US06/551,285
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 200/50 B, 200/51.11, 200/51.17, 200/51.09
• US Class Current: 200/50.29
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/629 Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances separate tools or apparatus H01R43/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/64 Means for preventing incorrect coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/707 interlocked with contact members or counterpart

Abstract

A plug (10) carries terminals (38) which also act as switch contacts and which insert into a receptacle (12) with essentially zero insertion force. The receptacle also carries terminals (84) which similarily double as switch contacts. After insertion of the plug into the receptacle, the plug terminals and receptacle terminals are electrically bridged by electrical bridges (68) driven forward by actuator means (62, 122) which also doubles as an integral part of an interlock arrangement. A first bayonet type of polarizing means ensures that the plug will only insert into the receptacle in a single orientation, whereas a second polarizing means permits keying a given plug to a given receptacle. The combining of switch and interlock into a minimum of parts provides simplicity and interlock protection as well as creates an exceptionally compact design.

Claims

1. An electrical connector including a plug and receptacle for connecting an electrical load to a power source, said plug including a housing having a front end and a rear end with a plurality of terminals proximate its front end, said receptacle including a housing having a plug receiving end with means therein for receiving said plug terminals, said receptacle also including receptacle terminals, the improvement comprising:

said plug terminals, during and after full insertion into the receptacle, being spaced from said receptacle terminals so as to avoid resistance to insertion thereby;

and multiple function actuator means forming a part of one of said plug and receptacle which is moveable from a first position to a second position, but only when said plug terminals are fully inserted into the receptacle, for indirectly connecting said plug terminals and receptacle terminals electrically after the plug is fully inserted into the receptacle.

2. The improved connector as set forth in claim 1, wherein said plug terminals project forwardly relative to said plug front end and wherein said receptacle plug receiving end includes unobstructed clearance for said plug terminals to a depth in excess of the maximum penetration of the plug terminals, said plug being rotatable thereafter to semi-captivation position where the plug terminals remain spaced from the receptacle terminals, but are then aligned for an electrical bridging therebetween.

3. The connector as set forth in claim 1, wherein said actuator means includes a plurality of electrical bridges that electrically interconnect specific plug terminals with specific receptacle terminals, each electrical bridge including a pair of spaced apart contact surfaces that move with other portions of said actuator means selectively into and out of substantially simultaneous contact with both a plug terminal and a receptacle terminal.

4. The connector as set forth in claim 3, wherein said electrical bridges form a part of a subassembly that is selectively translatable forwardly and rearwardly between a first position and a second position, said first position locating said contact surfaces against the plug and receptacle terminals and said second position locating said contact surfaces away from said terminals.

5. The connector as set forth in claim 3, wherein said electrical bridges form a part of a subassembly that is selectively rotatable between a first position and a second position, said first position locating said contact surfaces against said terminals and said second position holding said contact surfaces away from said terminals.

6. In a plug and receptacle combination wherein the plug includes a plurality of plug terminals and the receptacle includes a plurality of receptacle terminals that are ultimately electrically connected to the plug terminals in individual pairs, said plug and receptacle also including switch means, the improvement comprising:

actuator means having a subassembly that moves as a unit both for selectively effecting electrical continuity and discontinuity between the plug terminals and receptacle terminals and also for interlocking the plug and receptacle during their connection, said plug and receptacle being so arranged that the plug terminals cannot come into electrical continuity with any current carrying receptacle terminal during insertion of the plug into the receptacle.

7. The plug and receptacle of claim 6, wherein said subassembly includes a dielectric component carrying a plurality of electrical contacts thereon to effect said connection, and also including portions integral therewith that interfit with other structure on one of said plug and receptacle only after said plug is fully inserted to thereby permit the switch means to effect said connection.

8. The plug and receptacle of claim 7, wherein said electrical contacts are arranged in electrically connected pairs, each pair comprising an electrical bridge that moves selectively to engage and disengage one of the plug terminals and one of the receptacle terminals to thereby effect a "double-make" and "double-break" of those terminals, respectively.

9. The plug and receptacle of claim 8, wherein the plug terminals comprise forwardly extending, parallel pin terminals each carrying a butt contact at its distal end, wherein the receptacle terminals each carry a butt contact in juxtiposition with one butt contact on the plug terminals, and wherein the electrical bridge carries two electrically connected butt contacts capable of simultaneously and electrically engaging and disengaging the juxtipositioned plug and receptacle butt contacts as desired.

10. In a power plug and receptacle combination having a switching capability, each of said plug and receptacle including a plurality of electrical terminals, each of said plug terminals being prearranged to electrically connect with a specific receptacle terminal to form a plurality of pairs of connectable plug and receptacle terminals, the improvement comprising:

structural means forming an integral part of said receptacle for unobstructedly and fully receiving the plug therein with essentially no resistance to the plug'"'"'s full insertion, portions of each of the plug'"'"'s terminals being fully contained within the receptacle after said full insertion;

an electrical bridge for each plug and receptacle terminal pair, each bridge being contained within the receptacle proximate a specific pair, one bridge interacting with each pair when the plug is fully inserted into the receptacle,

actuator means for substantially simultaneously effecting an electrical connection between all terminal pairs, said actuator means carrying said electrical bridges therewith;

and means for moving said actuator means to selectively engage and disengage said bridges.

11. The power plug and receptacle combination of claim 10 including a back box to which the receptacle is mounted, said combination also including means for selectively keying a given plug to a given receptacle without removing the receptacle from the back box whereby only a selected number of plug and receptacle combinations carrying that specific keying will mate.

12. The power plug and receptacle combination of claim 10, wherein said receptacle includes a housing, a front insulation block and a rear insulation block, said front insulation block being rotatable from a first position to a second position after the plug is fully inserted therein, said rear insulation block carrying the receptacle terminals and being fixed relative to said housing whereby rotation of the plug in the front insulation block generates no movement of the receptacle terminals.

13. The power plug and receptacle combination of claim 10, wherein the electrical bridges are mounted on portions of a moveable subassembly, said portions being constructed of dielectric material, said subassembly additionally carrying portions of an interlock that moves generally with the electrical bridges, said interlock portions interacting with other structure on said combination to prevent withdrawal of the plug from the receptacle while the bridges effect an electrical connection between plug and receptacle terminals.

14. An explosion proof plug and receptacle comprising:

a plug having a housing defining a front end and a rear end, said front end carrying polarizing means, said plug also including a plurality of male terminals, each projecting forwardly therefrom to a distal end defined by a butt contact;

a receptacle having a housing with a plug receiving end having polarizing means for interacting with the plug polarizing means, said receptacle also including a front insulation block and a rear insulation block defining a switching void therebetween, said front insulation block having holes therethrough providing passages for the plug butt contacts to enter into said switching void;

a plurality of receptacle terminals carried by the rear insulation block, each terminal extending into said void and carrying a butt contact thereon;

actuator means carried in the receptacle having a moveable subassembly both for electrically connecting plug terminals with receptable terminals and for interlocking plug and receptacle when the plug terminals and receptacle terminals are electrically connected, said moveable subassembly carrying a conductive bridging element for each plug terminal and receptacle terminal to be electrically connected, each bridging element including two butt contacts of which one engages a plug terminal butt contact and the other generally simultaneously engages a receptacle terminal butt contact when the subassembly is moved from an "off" position to an "on" position, this simultaneous engagement effecting a double-make electrical connection;

said actuator means also including biasing means for exerting a force on said subassembly and cause it to respond quickly and achieve a quick-break electrical connection to hold down are degradation of the butt contacts.