U.S. patent number 3,745,511 [Application Number 05/153,618] was granted by the patent office on 1973-07-10 for multiconductor cable connector.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Mark Products, Inc.. Invention is credited to Donald L. Fussell.
United States Patent |
3,745,511 |
Fussell |
July 10, 1973 |
MULTICONDUCTOR CABLE CONNECTOR
Abstract
A multiple wire electrical cable connector device is disclosed.
The device includes two connector assemblies, with each assembly
adapted to be connected to the end of a multiple wire electrical
cable. Each connector assembly is of the same construction and
includes both a male and a female connector so that any two
connector assemblies can be connected together to connect
electrically the conductors in the cables to which they are
attached. The male and female connector of each assembly is mounted
in a face plate in side by side position to mate with a male and
female connector in another assembly. A locking ring is provided
for each engaging male and female connector that, when rotated to
one position, allows the two connectors to be moved apart or
brought together and, when rotated to another position, will lock
the two mating connectors and hold them from moving apart. In the
device disclosed, a lever arm is attached to each locking ring that
extends out from between the face plates when the locking ring is
in the unlocked position, but which, when moved to a position
between the plates, will lock the two pairs of mating connectors
together and, in turn, lock the two connector assemblies
together.
Inventors: |
Fussell; Donald L. (Houston,
TX) |
Assignee: |
Mark Products, Inc. (Houston,
TX)
|
Family
ID: |
22547969 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/153,618 |
Filed: |
June 16, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/294 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/28 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/02 (20060101); H01R 13/28 (20060101); H01r
013/54 (); H01r 025/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;339/47,49,75,77,89,90,91,154,156-164,176,170,273,274,238,189,32,33
;285/65,68,70,305,29,26,71,72,312,370,396 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Champion; Marvin A.
Assistant Examiner: Lewis; Terrell P.
Claims
The invention having been described, what is claimed is:
1. A multiple wire electrical cable connecting device, comprising:
a pair of connector assemblies, each assembly including a face
plate and a male connector and a female connector mounted therein
to connect to a female connector and a male connector respectively
mounted in the face plate of the other connector assembly, a
locking ring mounted on one of the mating male and female
connectors for rotation to a position to hold the two mating
connectors in engagement, and means attached to each locking ring
for rotating the locking ring between a first position where the
connectors are unlocked and movable apart and a second position
where the connectors are held in engagement with each other by the
locking ring.
2. The connecting device of claim 1 in which the locking ring
rotating means comprises two lever arms each of which is attached
at one end to one of the locking rings and extends generally radial
therefrom in a direction transverse the axis of rotation of the
locking ring to which it is attached.
3. The connecting device of claim 2 in which the lever arms extend
outwardly from between the face plates when the mating connectors
are moved into contact and the locking ring is in its unlocked
position and that move to a position between the plates to rotate
the locking ring to hold the two mating connectors from moving
apart.
4. The connecting device of claim 3 in which the locking rings are
mounted on the female connectors and the lever arms are in
parallel, side by side position when the locking rings are holding
the mating connectors from moving apart.
5. The connecting device of claim 1 in which the face plate of each
connector assembly forms one wall of a hollow housing having an
opening through which the end of a multiple wire electrical cable
can be inserted for connecting the connectors to the wires of the
cable.
6. A multiple wire electrical cable connecting device, comprising a
pair of connector assemblies, each connector assembly comprising a
housing having an opening through which the end of a multiple wire
electrical cable can be inserted into the housing, a male connector
and a female connector mounted in one side wall of the housing to
mate with a female and a male connector in the side wall of the
housing of the other connector assembly, a locking ring carried by
one of the male and female connectors for rotation relative thereto
for locking the connector on which it is mounted to the mating
connector on the other assembly, and an arm attached to the locking
ring and extending outwardly from between the housings of the two
connector assemblies for rotating the locking ring between its
locked and unlocked position.
7. The cable connecting device of claim 6 in which the arms
attached to the locking rings extend outwardly from between the
housings when the mating connectors are unlocked to each other and
move into a position between the housings when the locking rings
are rotated into position to lock the mating connectors together.
Description
This invention relates to a connecting device for multiple wire
electrical cables.
Commonly, electrical cables have a male connector at one end and a
female connector at the other. Where a plurality of individual
lengths of such electrical cable are used to connect two devices
that are spaced apart, the cables have to be arranged end to end so
that the adjacent ends of the cables have mating connectors, i.e.,
a male connector and a female connector. This can be accomplished
when the cables are strung initially, however, in some operations,
such as in seismic work, a plurality of cables will be strung over
the ground and then one or more of the cables at the end nearest
the truck will be moved to the other end as the seismic operations
move to another position. This creates a problem since it is
necessary to maintain the cables in the same end to end
relationship or provide adapters for connecting between
male-to-male or female-to-female connectors should a cable be
switched end to end when moved.
Consequently, it is desirable to have a universal type connector
that can be used on multiple wire electrical cables, such as those
that are used in seismic operations, so that it makes no difference
which end of the cable is adjacent the end of the next adjacent
cable, because either end can be connected to the next cable. This
problem has been solved in one manner by providing both a male and
a female connector attached to each end of the cable. This
arrangement generally was the result of an effort to increase the
number of circuits that could be connected together in one hookup.
Usually, there is a maximum of sixty-one pins in commercially
available connectors. Thus, there was a limit on the number of
channels that could be operated where the cable was equipped with a
conventional pin type connector at one end and a socket at the
other end. By using both a pin and a socket, i.e., male and female
connector at each end of the cable, the number of wires in the
cable could be increased to twice what it has been previously, and
also a universal type connector was provided for the cable. These
Y-type connections simply consisted of splitting the insulation on
the cable a short way back from the end, and connecting half of the
wires in the cable to a male connector and the other half to a
female connector. The ratio, of course, could be adjusted if all
the pins and sockets were not required to be used. Such an
arrangement, however, was not completely satisfactory. The two
connectors were unconnected to each other and would bang together
as the cable was moved from place to place. Also, the locking
mechanism used to hold the connectors together was exposed and
subject to being moved to an unlocked position when the connected
cables were moved along the ground or through brush.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved connecting
device for multiple wire electrical cables that allows up to twice
the number of channels available with the conventional pin and
socket type connector to be used, and also provides a universal
type connection whereby cables equipped with this connecting device
can be connected to other such cables regardless of which end of
the cable happens to end up adjacent the end of the next cable.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide such a
connecting device for multiple wire electrical cables that includes
two connector assemblies, each of which is identical to the other,
and which, in turn, are connected to the ends of the cables, which
connector assemblies can be quickly and easily connected together
to connect together the two cables and which can be quickly and
easily disassembled when the two cables are to be disconnected.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a
connecting device that includes two connector assemblies for
connecting to the ends of electrical cables that includes two lever
arms that are positioned for easy access when the two connector
assemblies are brought together and which are moved to a position
where they will be protected from any snag, such as a rock or tree
branch that they might catch on, when the arms have been moved into
position to lock the two connector assemblies together.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of this invention
will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the consideration
of this specification, including the attached drawings and appended
claims.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a side view, in elevation, of the preferred embodiment of
the connecting device of this invention;
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the connecting device of FIG. 1,
with the two connector assemblies in position to be brought
together for connecting two cables together;
FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2,
with the connector device assembled, as shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of one of the connector assemblies of the
device with the lever arm used to rotate the locking ring in the
position it would assume when the mating connectors are locked
together; and
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4, showing
the internal groove of the locking ring that cams the two mating
male and female connectors into engagement, and that holds them in
engagement when the locking ring is in its holding position.
The connector device includes two connector assemblies, 10 and 12,
that are connected to the ends of multiple wire electrical cables
14 and 16, respectively. Since connector assemblies 10 and 12 are
of identical construction, only one will be described in
detail.
Therefore, referring to FIG. 3, where connector assembly 10 is
shown in cross section, the construction and details of this
connector assembly will be described.
The connector assembly includes housing 17, which is generally
rectangular in cross section. Portion 17a of the housing is molded
all in one piece, but has one side open that is closed by face
plate 18. This leaves hollow space 19 in which the individual wires
are located that extend out the end of the outer sheath of the
cable and are connected to the various pins and sockets of the
connectors to be described later. The inside of the housing is
insulated electrically if the housing is not made of a
non-conductive material. The housing has tubular portion 17b that
is integrally attached to portion 17a. Portion 17b provides opening
20 through which cable 14 can be inserted into hollow space 19 of
the housing. Gland nut 21, handle 22, and washer and grommet
assembly 23, are slipped over cable 14 before the cable is inserted
into housing 17. After it is in position, gland nut 21 is screwed
into the threaded end of tubular portion 17b to anchor the cable in
housing 17 and to provide a handle for supporting the weight of
connector assembly 12 when the end of the cable is picked up.
Face plate 18 is connected to housing 17 by mounting screws 24.
Gasket 25 is positioned between the face plate and portion 17a of
the housing to isolate hollow space 19 from the ambient
atmosphere.
Female connector 28 and male connector 29 are mounted in side by
side relationship in face plate 18. Both connectors have threaded
portions that extend through openings in the face plate, as shown
in FIG. 3. Both connectors have annular grooves above the threaded
portion to receive snap rings 32 and 33. The snap rings engage the
outer surface of the face plate and limit the distance each
connector can enter the openings in the face plates. Lock nuts 30
and 31 on the threaded portion of the connectors engage the inner
surface of the face plate and hold the connectors in the openings.
O-rings 34 and 35 are compressed between the snap rings and
shoulders provided around the openings through the face plate to
provide a seal between the connectors and the face plate. Lock
screws are provided to anchor the lock nuts to the threaded
portions of the connectors and to the face plate. As shown in FIG.
3, lock screw 37 anchors lock nut 30 to the threaded portion of
connector 28, and lock screw 38 anchors the lock nut against
rotation relative to face plate 18. A similar arrangement of lock
screws holds lock nut 31 against rotation relative to the face
plate and connector 29.
Connector assembly 12 is constructed in the same manner as assembly
10. It has male connector 40 and female connector 41 that will mate
with the female and male connectors 28 and 29 of assembly 10.
A locking ring is mounted on one of the mating male and female
connectors for rotation to a position to hold the two mating
connectors in engagement. In the embodiment shown, locking ring 42
is mounted for rotation on female connector 28 of connector
assembly 10, and locking ring 44 is similarly mounted on female
connector 41 of assembly 12. The mounting arrangement is the same
for both locking rings. This is best seen in FIG. 3, where locking
ring 42 is shown in cross section. The ring is tubular in shape and
has inwardly extending flange 45. It is slipped over the threaded
end of the connector and moved upwardly into engagement with
outwardly extending flange 46 on the connector. Snap ring 32 is
then placed in the groove provided to receive it, and the locking
ring is mounted on the connector with freedom to rotate around the
longitudinal axis of the connector with some, but limited, axial
movement. It is the rotation of the ring that is used to lock and
unlock the two mating connectors together, as will be described
below.
Means are attached to each locking ring for rotating the locking
ring between a first position where the connectors are unlocked and
movable apart and a second position where the connectors are held
in engagement with each other by the locking ring. In the
embodiment shown, locking ring 42 and locking ring 44 are attached
to lever arms 48 and 50, respectively. The lever arms have the same
shape. The arms are attached to hubs 52 and 54 that have openings
to receive the locking rings. The arms are integrally attached to
the hubs and extend radially therefrom, generally transverse the
axis of rotation of the locking rings. The hubs are attached to the
locking rings in any convenient manner, such as by welding.
As shown in FIG. 2, the lever arms extend outwardly from between
face plate 18 and the corresponding face plate 56 of assembly 12.
After the two male and female connectors have been moved into
engagement, lever arm 58 is moved in the direction of the arrow on
FIG. 2, and lever arm 50 is moved in the opposite direction to a
position between face plates 18 and 56, as shown in FIG. 1. The
lock rings are arranged so they will lock the connectors together
when the arms are moved to the position of FIG. 1. This is also the
position of arm 48 in FIG. 4. Thus, when the connector device is
assembled, the lever arms will be protected from being accidentally
moved to the unlocked position as the cables are moved through
brush or pulled along the ground. To disconnect the two cables, the
two lever arms are moved about 90.degree. to the positions shown in
FIG. 2. The space between the face plates is sufficient to allow a
finger to extend into the space to engage the ends of the lever
arms and pull them out from between the face plates for movement to
the unlocked position.
The locking rings lock the male and female connectors together
through pins 70, three of which are usually provided on the outside
of the male connector, as shown in FIG. 4. The pins are usually
spaced apart 120.degree.. These pins enter three inclined grooves
on the inside surface of the locking rings, such as groove 71 shown
in FIG. 5. The connectors are so positioned that pins 70 will enter
the grooves of the locking rings when lever arms 48 and 50 are in
the position shown in FIG. 2. Then as the lever arms rotate the
locking rings approximately 90.degree. to the locked position of
FIG. 1, the inclined surfaces of grooves 71 will cam or pull the
two connectors together. Lower end 72 of groove 71 turns toward the
outside of the locking ring, so that the pins 70 will have to move
downwardly again before they can move out of groove 71. This
portion of the groove then acts as a detent to hold the pin in the
groove.
Pin type connectors are provided with internal mating grooves (not
shown) so that the pins will always engage the proper socket. In
this connector assembly, when the connectors are mounted in the
face plate they are properly oriented so that their position, with
respect to the face plate, is always the same and, therefore, when
the two connectors on one assembly are connected to the connectors
of another, the proper pin will enter the proper socket.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well
adapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set
Forth, together with other advantages which are obvious and which
are inherent to the apparatus and structure.
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are
of utility and may be employed without reference to other features
and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the
scope of the claims.
As many possible embodiments may be made of this invention without
departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all
matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to
be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
* * * * *