Lockable electrical plug and socket connection

• US 6,984,143 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2004
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Deutschland GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Roese, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): PAUMEN, GARY F
• Application Number:
  US11/003,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20050124202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: 439/352, 439/357, 439/353, 439/358, 439/681, 439/701
• US Class Current: 439/352
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6273 comprising two latching arms

Abstract

An electrical plug or socket has locking hooks on the ends of flexible locking arms extending from its housing. The other has locking receivers including open slots and catch rims on its housing. When the plug is connected with the socket, the locking arms extend into the slots and the locking hooks engage the catch rims to form a locked connection. The locking hooks protrude laterally outwardly, and yielding protrusions or lever arms protrude laterally inwardly, from the free ends or along the length of the locking arms. The lever arms and/or the free ends of the locking arms can contact and slide along outwardly sloping ramps of sidewalls of the housing, to exert an outward locking force on the locking arms, and to achieve a disconnecting force that separates the plug from the socket when finger pressure is applied laterally inwardly to the free ends of the locking arms.

Claims

1. A lockable electrical connection comprising first and second connectors that can be selectively connected and disconnected with respect to one another, wherein:

said first connector includes a first housing, a first electrical contact in said first housing, and a deflectable locking arm structure extending from said first housing;

said deflectable locking arm structure includes an elongated flexible deflectable locking arm, a locking hook that protrudes laterally from said locking arm, and a flexible yielding protrusion comprising a flexible lever arm that protrudes laterally from said locking arm oriented opposite said locking hook;

said second connector includes a second housing, a second electrical contact in said second housing, a locking receiver provided on said second housing, and a wall arrangement including a laterally outwardly sloping ramp wall provided on said second housing;

said first and second electrical contacts are arranged and adapted to be brought into electrical contact with one another when said first connector and said second connector are connected together into a connected condition;

said locking hook is arranged and adapted to be brought into engagement with said locking receiver in a locked condition when said first and second connectors are connected together in said connected condition, and said locking arm structure extends between said wall arrangement and said locking receiver;

a part of said locking arm structure is arranged and adapted to be brought into contact with said sloping ramp wall; and

in said locked condition, said flexible lever arm bears against said wall arrangement and is thereby elastically deflected and exerts a first elastic flexing return force onto said locking arm in a direction biasing said locking hook toward said engagement with said locking receiver.

2. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said first connector is a connector plug and said second connector is a connector socket.

3. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said part of said locking arm structure adapted to be brought into contact with said sloping ramp wall comprises said flexible lever arm.

4. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 3, wherein said flexible lever arm and said locking hook are respectively arranged on opposite lateral sides of an end portion adjoining a free end of said locking arm.

5. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 3, wherein said flexible lever arm is arranged directly adjoining a free end of said locking arm.

6. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 3, wherein said flexible lever arm is arranged closer than said locking hook to a free end of said locking arm.

7. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said part of said locking arm structure adapted to be brought into contact with said sloping ramp wall comprises an end portion adjoining a free end of said locking arm.

8. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 7, wherein said yielding protrusion does not contact said sloping ramp wall.

9. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 7, wherein said yielding protrusion is arranged farther than said locking hook from said free end of said locking arm.

10. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said yielding protrusion is arranged closer than said locking hook to a free end of said locking arm.

11. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said yielding protrusion is arranged farther than said locking hook from a free end of said locking arm.

12. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said flexible lever arm extends laterally from said locking arm at an acute angle with a vertex oriented toward a free end of said locking arm.

13. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said yielding protrusion is oriented laterally inwardly toward a center plane of said first housing and said second housing, and said locking hook is oriented laterally outwardly away from said center plane.

14. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, comprising two of said locking arm structures mirror-symmetrically arranged respectively on opposite sides of said first housing, as well as two of said locking receivers and two of said wall arrangements mirror-symmetrically arranged respectively on opposite sides of said second housing.

15. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said wall arrangement further includes a straight linear wall that extends substantially parallel to said locking arm in said locked condition and that leads to and adjoins said sloping ramp wall from a front end of said second housing facing toward said first connector.

16. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said locking receiver includes a catch rim behind which said locking hook is engaged in said locked condition, and an open slot is formed between said locking receiver and said wall arrangement and is adapted to have said locking arm structure inserted therein.

17. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said part of said locking arm structure contacting said sloping ramp wall exerts a first force component urging said locking hook laterally outwardly and a second force component urging said first connector via said locking arm structure away from and out of said connected condition with respect to said second connector.

18. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said locking arm structure is integrally unitarily formed and integrated with said first housing.

19. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said first housing has a first cavity therein, said first connector further includes a first modular insert selectively and releasably received in said first cavity and holding said first electrical contact, said second housing has a second cavity therein, and said second connector further includes a second modular insert selectively and releasably received in said second cavity and holding said second electrical contact.

20. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 19, wherein one of said first and second electrical contacts is a contact pin and the other of said first and second electrical contacts is a contact socket adapted to matingly receive said contact pin, and wherein said first and second cavities and said first and second modular inserts have mutually compatible dimensions and configurations so that either of said modular inserts can be selectively received in either of said cavities.

21. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said first connector further includes first coding elements comprising first grooves and first elevations, said second connector further includes second coding elements comprising second grooves and second elevations adapted to mate with said first elevations and said first grooves, and selected ones of said elevations may be removed at frangible locations to form a selected coding pattern of said grooves and elevations.

22. The lockable electrical connection according to claim 1, wherein said locking arm is elastically deflected and exerts a second elastic flexing return force in said direction biasing said locking hook toward said engagement with said locking receiver, so that said first and second elastic flexing return forces both additively reinforce and secure said engagement of said locking hook with said locking receiver.