Vibration resistant electrical coupling

• US 4,834,667 A
• Filed: 09/07/1988
• Issued: 05/30/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Icore International Incorporated (The Chemours Company)
• Original Assignee: Engineered Transitions Co., Inc.
• Inventors: Goett, Edward P., Fowler, Clifford C.
• Primary Examiner(s): MCGLYNN, JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US07/241,322
• Time in Patent Office: 265 Days
• Field of Search: 439/312-323
• US Class Current: 439/321
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/622 Screw-ring or screw-casing H01R13/623 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/639 Additional means for holding or locking coupling parts together, after engagement, e.g. separate keylock, retainer strap

Abstract

A connector accessory for electrical connectors containing a detent or locking member or members for preventing disconnection from an attached connector when the assembly is subjected to vibration, shock or other stresses. The accessory consists of a coupling and a body containing the accessory which in one form is a detent and in another form serves as a detent in one direction of rotation and a permanent or temporary lock in the other direction of rotation. The coupling is provided with screw threads to engage an accessory thread at the rear of an electrical connector and the body contains features which are required to provide proper mechanical and environmental interface characteristics to mate with various electrical connectors, i.e., teeth, splines, seals, etc. When the accessory is mated to an electrical connector, the rotation of the coupling is restricted by a spring and tooth mechanism interfacing between the coupling and the body to prevent the coupling from counter-rotating and allowing the accessory to become loosened or separate from the back of the connector. This concept may also be employed on a connector coupling ring as well.

Claims

1. A detent mechanism for a connector backshell adapter, comprising:

a cylindrical body shell,

a hollow cylindrical collar rotatably positioned coaxially around said shell,

a detent spring member,

a detent spring member engaging surface formed in the inner surface of said collar in generally radial alignment with said surface defining said outer diameter of said collar,

said detent spring member engaging surface having a plurality of detenting surfaces formed therein,

said shell having an outer surface generally radially aligned with the surface defining the inner diameter of said collar,

retaining means for retaining said detent spring member formed in said outer surface of said shell and defining a groove located substantially transverse to the direction of elongation of the cylindrical body shell,

attachment means for fixedly attaching said detent spring member to said retaining means,

said detent spring member seated on and secured to said retaining means by said attachment means,

said detent spring member engaging said detenting surfaces whereby to detent movement of said collar relative to said shell.

2. A coupling member according to claim 1 wherein

said groove contains a generally radial alignment hole.

3. A coupling member according to claim 1 wherein said arm is a generally straight finger like member disposed between adjacent teeth and having its end located in abutting relationship with an adjacent tooth whereby the member is depressed by a tooth in one direction of rotation of said collar and abuts an adjacent tooth in the other direction of rotation.

4. A coupling member according to claim 1 wherein,

said detent spring means includes a main body portion and a radially deflectable arm having a protrusion adjacent one end thereof for bias engagement with said teeth of said engaging surface.

5. A coupling member according to claim 4 wherein, said teeth constitute an annular array of ratchet-type teeth.

6. A coupling member according to claim 4 wherein said protrusion has means for resisting rotation in one direction with more force than in the other direction.

7. A coupling member according to claim 4 wherein said teeth are shaped to require more force to rotate said collar in one direction than in the other direction.

8. A method for modifying existing coupling members, comprising the steps of:

forming a generally flat groove in a cylindrical body of the coupling members perpendicular to a radius and to the longitudinal axis of said cylindrical body,

forming a generally radial indexing hole within said groove,

positioning a detent spring in said groove with a tab extending into the indexing hole, and providing ratchet-like teeth in an annular array inside the collar of another of the members substantially in line with the detent spring when the collar is in a coupled position.

9. The method of converting a standard available preexisting, non-detented backshell adapter having a cylindrical connector body and a coaxial outer collar adapted to engage a mating connecting member to a detented connector, comprising the steps of:

forming a flat groove transverse to the direction of elongation of the connector body on the connector body underlying the collar,

securing to the connector body in the groove of reduced diameter a spring having a radial deflectable spring member,

forming a plurality of closely spaced teeth on the interior of the collar in radial alignment with the spring member when the collar engages a mating connector body;

the spacing between connector body and the collar and the radial length of the spring producing engagement between the spring member and the grooves between the teeth of the collar.

10. The method of retrofitting a standard commercially available, non-detented elongated connector backshell coupling comprised of a backshell body including a coaxial, rotatable outer collar adapted to engage a correspondingly sized connector body, the method being employed to convert the non-detented coupling to a detented coupling in a manner to maintain the same outer dimensions of the connector backshell coupling, the method comprising the steps of:

forming a flat groove substantially transverse to the direction of the elongation of the coupling on the outer surface of the backshell body and underlying the collar,

establishing a first element of a cooperating seating member in the transverse groove,

incorporating a radially deflectable spring member and a second element of a cooperating seating member,

combining the first and second cooperating seating members to secure the deflectable spring member in the transverse groove,

forming a plurality of closely spaced teeth on the interior of the collar in radial alignment with the spring member where the spacing between backshell body and the collar produces biased engagement between the spring member and the grooves between the teeth of the collar.