U.S. patent number 3,614,711 [Application Number 04/866,664] was granted by the patent office on 1971-10-19 for electrical connector having adjustable keying.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Bunker-Ramo Corporation. Invention is credited to Norman R. Anderson, David F. Rundle.
United States Patent |
3,614,711 |
Anderson , et al. |
October 19, 1971 |
ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HAVING ADJUSTABLE KEYING
Abstract
An electrical connector having adjustable keying and comprising
a lockingly engageable plug and receptacle containing respectively
mating pins and sockets. The receptacle includes a plurality of
circumferentially spaced pluggable keyways which can be selectively
plugged by a connector user to provide a keyway for the receptacle
at any of a plurality of different possible locations. The plug has
a rotatably movable key which a connector user can align with the
selected keyway location provided in the receptacle.
Inventors: |
Anderson; Norman R. (Cicero,
IL), Rundle; David F. (Berwyn, IL) |
Assignee: |
The Bunker-Ramo Corporation
(Oak Brook, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
25348105 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/866,664 |
Filed: |
October 15, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/314;
439/681 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/6456 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/645 (20060101); H01r 013/64 (); H01r
007/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;339/186R,186M,184M,185,187,90 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Champion; Marvin A.
Assistant Examiner: Staab; Lawrence J.
Claims
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. An electrical connector having adjustable keying comprising in
combination:
a cooperatively engageable plug and receptacle each including a
tubular shell and containing pins and sockets which respectively
mate when the plug and receptacle are engaged in proper keyed
relationship,
said receptacle including a plurality of keyways provided at spaced
circumferential locations in the inner surface of the receptacle
shell, and
a plurality of keying plugs insertable in at least a predetermined
plurality of the keyways provided in said receptacle so as to
provide for selective plugging thereof,
said plug including a rotatable band mounted on the outer surface
of the plug shell,
said band having a key provided therein so that rotation of said
band permits said key to be circumferentially positionable to a
location corresponding to that of any desired one of said
predetermined plurality of keyways of said receptacle and so as to
be able to key therewith when the plug and receptacle are
engaged,
said band also including an inwardly biased resilient locating lug
provided thereon at a location circumferentially spaced from said
key,
said plug also including circumferentially spaced slots formed in
the outer surface of the plug shell adjacent said band so as to be
cooperatable with said resilient locating lug provided on said band
to permit said lug to be insertable in any selected one of said
slots in order to lock said rotatable band and thus said key at a
circumferential position corresponding to any desired one of said
keyways of said receptacle.
2. The invention in accordance with claim 1,
wherein said plug also includes a plurality of fixed keys provided
for mating with predetermined ones of said keyways when said plug
and receptacle are engaged.
3. The invention in accordance with claim 2,
wherein said plug and said receptacle also include cooperating
locking means for providing locking thereof in an engaged position.
Description
The provision of keying between an electrical plug and its
receptacle is commonly employed in electrical connectors for a
variety of purposes such as, for example, to ensure proper terminal
orientation and/or mating between engaging parts. In certain
applications, electrical connectors may be employed which differ
only with regard to their keying location. In such cases it has
conventionally been necessary to maintain a stock of a plurality of
different connectors, one for each different keying location
employed.
In accordance with the present invention, an electrical connector
is provided having a keying location which is readily adjustable by
the user. Thus, where a plurality of connectors are employed which
differ only in their keying locations, the connector user does not
have to maintain a stock of different connectors, but need only
stock a single type of connector for which adjustable keying is
provided in accordance with this invention.
The present invention has the further advantage of providing this
adjustable keying for a connector in a remarkably simple and
inexpensive manner without detracting from connector
performance.
The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects,
features, advantages and uses thereof will become apparent from the
following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connector receptacle having the
capability of selectively providing or eliminating a keyway at one
or more of a plurality of different keyway locations;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken through a keyway
location along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a plug for mating with the
receptacle of FIG. 1 and having an adjustable key whose location
may be selected to correspond to a desired keyway location of the
receptacle.
Like numerals designate like elements throughout the figures of the
drawings. Also, to facilitate understanding of the embodiment of
the invention to be described herein, elements of the connector
receptacle illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be designated by
numbers less than 100, while elements of the connector plug
illustrated in FIG. 3 will be designated by numbers greater than
100; additionally, cooperating elements on the connector and
receptacle will be designated with numerals whose difference is
exactly 100.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, an electrical connector is
illustrated comprised of a receptacle 10 and a plug 110 constructed
and arranged for mating engagement with one another. The receptacle
10 in FIG. 1 includes a tubular shell 12 within which a plurality
of electrically insulated pins 14 are suitably provided for
engagement with respectively located insulated pin-receiving
sockets 114 provided within a tubular shell 112 of the plug 110 in
FIG. 3 when the plug 110 and receptacle 10 are mated. Since the
pins 14 and the sockets 114 are conventional and may readily be
provided in their respective receptacle 10 and plug 110 along with
appropriate means (not shown) to permit electrical connection to
associated electrical circuitry, no further description thereof
will be given herein.
The tubular shell 12 of the connector receptacle 10 illustrated in
FIG. 1 is provided with a mounting flange 16 having mounting holes
18 so as to permit the receptacle to be appropriately mounted on a
utilization device, such as an electronic chassis. The inner
surface of the shell 12 has a circular groove 20 in which an "O"
ring gasket 22 is disposed for cooperation with the forward outer
surface of the plug shell 112 so as to provide sealing in a
conventional manner. Also, stubs 24 are provided on the forward
outer surface of the receptacle shell 12 for cooperation with slots
124 in a bayonet coupling ring 125 on the plug shell 112 so as to
provide a conventional bayonet type of locking engagement for the
plug 110 and receptacle 10.
The forward inner surface of the receptacle shell 12 in FIG. 1 is
provided with four circumferentially spaced fixed keyways 28, each
of which receives an aligned pair of respectively located fixed
keys 128 provided on the outer surface of the plug shell 112 in
FIG. 3 when the plug 110 and receptacle 10 are mated. Slotted
spring members 29 are provided in the annular space between each
pair of keys 128 of the plug 10 so as to be biased against the
inner surface of the receptacle shell 12 when the plug 110 and
receptacle 10 are mated, thereby providing electrical shielding and
conductivity therebetween.
The description so far has been concerned with the conventional and
well-known structural portions of the receptacle 10 and the plug
100 of the connector illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3. With this
description of conventional structure as background, the novel
features of the invention whereby an adjustable keying capability
is provided will now be described.
Referring to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the lower half of the
forward inner surface of the receptacle shell 12 is provided with
five circumferentially spaced keyways 30 which are in addition to
the conventional keyways 28. The number of these keyways 30 which
are provided is determined by the number of different keying
locations desired, an appropriately located keyway 30 being
provided for each desired keying location.
It will be understood from FIG. 1 that a keyway 30 may, in effect,
be removed by the insertion of a keyway plug 32 therein, and
reinstated by removal of the plug 32. Preferably, each plug 32 has
the general form of a channel with a downwardly biased spring clip
33 being provided near one end which, upon insertion of the plug
32, snaps into a retaining groove 34 provided in the receptacle
shell 12 near the rear end of the keyways 30, as shown in FIG. 2.
Also, each keyway 30 and plug 32 is preferably of dovetail shape to
aid in the insertion and retention of the plug 32 in a keyway 30.
While any desired combination of plugged and unplugged keyways 30
could be provided, it is preferred that all but a selected one of
the keyways 30 be plugged.
To remove a plug 32 from a keyway 30 in FIG. 1, a tool such as a
screwdriver is inserted into the channel opening 35 of the plug 32
until the spring clip 33 rises out of the retaining groove 34,
thereby releasing the plug 32 so as to permit it to be pulled out
of the keyway 30, using an appropriate tool for this purpose.
It will next be described how the connector plug 110 of FIG. 3 is
provided with an adjustable key 130 which may be moved to a
position corresponding to any selected one of the keyways 30 in
FIG. 1. The adjustable key 130 has a generally inverted "U" shape
and depends from a band 137 disposed in a groove 138 in the plug
shell 112. The band 137 is of appropriate diameter and resiliency
so as to normally be retained in the groove 138, while being
rotatable with respect to the plug 110 when the adjustable key 130
is raised, such as by inserting a screwdriver into the "U" opening
of the key 130.
The band 137 containing the adjustable key 130 also includes a
locating lug 139 cooperating with slots 141 provided in the plug
shell 112 adjacent the band 137 so as to permit the lug 139 to be
positioned in any desired one of the slots 141. It will be
understood that the slots 141 are positioned with respect to the
fixed and adjustable keys 128 and 130 so that, for each slot
position of the lug 139, the adjustable key 130 is aligned with a
respective one of the plugable keyways 30 of the receptacle 10 of
FIG. 3. Thus, in the preferred operation of the device mentioned
earlier in which a user plugs all but a selected one of the
plugable keyways 30, the user also correspondingly sets the
locating lug 139 into the particular slot 141 which will cause the
adjustable key 130 in the plug 110 in FIG. 3 to be aligned with the
selected unplugged keyway 30 in FIG. 1 when the two are mated
together.
Although the present invention has been described with respect to a
particular preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood
that the invention is subject to a wide variety of modifications
and variations in construction, arrangement, operation and/or use
without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the
appended claims.
* * * * *