U.S. patent number 3,680,033 [Application Number 05/134,264] was granted by the patent office on 1972-07-25 for coupling device for an electric connector.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hirose Electric Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Mitsuru Kawai.
United States Patent |
3,680,033 |
Kawai |
July 25, 1972 |
COUPLING DEVICE FOR AN ELECTRIC CONNECTOR
Abstract
An electric connector employs a coupling device comprising a
connecting ring having head portions and provided in a receptacle
part, and a tubular body, an outer tube surrounding the tubular
body and a spring located between the tubular body and the outer
tube, said tubular body, outer tube and spring being provided in a
plug part. When the receptacle part is fitted to the plug part, the
outer tube is longitudinally retracted against the spring by the
head portions of the connecting ring. Then, when the head portions
of the connecting ring fall into outer recesses provided in the
tubular body, the outer tube returns to its original position to
keep the head portions of the connecting ring fitted into the outer
recesses, thereby the receptacle part is kept coupled to the plug
part. The outer tube can be longitudinally retracted to release the
coupling of the receptacle part with the plug part.
Inventors: |
Kawai; Mitsuru (Matsudo,
JA) |
Assignee: |
Hirose Electric Co., Ltd.
(Tokyo, JA)
|
Family
ID: |
33056611 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/134,264 |
Filed: |
April 15, 1971 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
May 14, 1970 [JA] |
|
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45/47170 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
439/352; 285/316;
439/350; 439/180 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/627 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/627 (20060101); H01r 013/62 () |
Field of
Search: |
;339/46,45R,45M,45T,75R,91R,91B,91L,91P,74R,176R,176M,89
;285/DIG.7,85-88,315-316,317,318,319,320,321 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Champion; Marvin A.
Assistant Examiner: Lewis; Terrell P.
Claims
I claim:
1. An electric connector comprising a receptacle part having a
tubular body and a connecting ring attached thereto, and a plug
part having a tubular body, an outer tube and a spring, said
tubular body of the receptacle part being provided at its
connecting end with at least two windows and at its internal
periphery with a groove, said connecting ring having at least two
head portions adapted to be located in said windows of the tubular
body and a fixing portion adapted to be located in said groove of
the tubular body, said head portions having an inwardly projecting
portion and an outwardly projecting portion, said tubular body of
the plug part being provided at its outer periphery with at least
two recesses adapted to receive said head portions of said
connecting ring and having an end tube secured to its wire
connecting end, said outer tube being adapted to surround said
tubular body of the plug part and to be axially moved, said outer
tube having an inner peripheral surface the diameter of which
gradually increases in a direction toward the connecting end, said
spring being located between a shoulder of said outer tube and one
end of said end tube.
2. An electric connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein said head
portions of the connecting ring comprise sheet members inwardly
bent substantially in a semi-circular form.
3. An electric connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein said head
portions of the connecting ring comprise sheet members rolled
substantially in a circular form.
4. An electric connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein said head
portions of the connecting ring comprise sheet members shaped into
a roll including a rod.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a coupling device for an electric
connector.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional coupling devices are represented by the thread locking
type connection and the bayonet locking type connection. The thread
locking type connection, however, is difficult in handling and
incapable of quick operation, whereas the bayonet locking type
connection is so complicated in structure that numerous
manufacturing steps are necessitated.
The object of this invention is to provide a coupling device free
from the defects mentioned above. More specifically, according to
this invention, an improved coupling device is provided which is
easy to handle, reliable in function, reducible in size and capable
of quick coupling and decoupling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a coupling device for an electric connector according to this
invention, a connecting ring having head portions and a fixing
portion is attached to the receptacle part of the electric
connector with the head portions located in the windows provided on
the connection end of the tubular body and the fixing portion
located in the groove provided on the internal periphery of the
tubular body. The tubular body of the plug part of the connector is
provided on its outer periphery with recesses adapted to receive
the head portions of the connecting ring. A longitudinally movable
outer tube is arranged to surround the tubular body of the plug
part. The inner wall of the outer tube is shaped so that the inside
diameter thereof may gradually increase in a direction toward the
connecting end of the plug part. A spring is arranged between the
inwardly projecting shoulder of the outer tube of the plug part and
the end tube secured to the wire connecting end of the tubular body
of the plug part.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a longitudinally and vertically sectional view showing an
electric connector employing a coupling device according to this
invention, the plug part being completely coupled to the receptacle
part;
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the connector just
before the plug part is completely coupled to the receptacle
part;
FIG. 3 is a view of the tubular body of the receptacle part of FIG.
1, showing the front view of the window as seen down from an
elevated position;
FIG. 4 is a perspective sectional view as taken along line A-A' of
FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of connecting ring
according to this invention; and
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view showing connecting rings having head
portions of different shapes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIG. 1, a male conductor 21 is embedded in an
insulating insert 13 to be fixed into a tubular body 17. A female
conductor 20 is embedded in insulating inserts 11 and 12 to be
fixed into a tubular body 18. Cables 22 and 23 are connected to the
wire connecting ends of the male and female conductors 21 and 20
and extend longitudinally and outwardly. The wire connecting end 24
of the tubular body 18 is threaded. An end tube 19 is screwed into
the threaded wire connecting end 24. A spring 27 is located between
and compressed by one end 25 of the end tube 19 and a shoulder 16
projecting from the inner wall of an outer tube 15 surrounding the
tubular body 18. A tubular body 17 is provided on its connecting
end with at least two windows 54 as shown in FIG. 3. The lower
portions 48 of the windows 54 are in the same plane as a groove 37
provided on the inner wall 37 of the tubular body 17 at its lower
end.
The connecting rings 58 of FIG. 1 comprises head portions 53, leg
portions 29 and a fixing portion 30, as shown in FIG. 5, and is
made of a resilient material. In order to mount the connecting ring
58 on the tubular body 17, the fixing portion 30 is inserted into
the tubular body from the connection side (the left side in FIG.
1). In this case, since the inside diameter of the inner wall 37 of
the tubular body 17 is smaller than the outside diameter of the
fixing portion 30, the gap 45 of the fixing portion 30 is made
narrower so that the fixing portion 30 falls into the groove 31 and
therefore expands due to its resiliency to cause the head portions
53 to come into the windows 54. In such manner, the connecting ring
58 is secured to the tubular body 17 in a position as shown in FIG.
1.
Referring now to FIG. 2, as the plug part is inserted into the
receptacle part, the inwardly projecting portions 26 of the head
portions 53 of the connecting ring 58 are pushed by the inclined
edge 28 of the tubular body 18 and are radially and outwardly
displaced because of resiliency of the leg portions 29. Then, the
outwardly projecting portions 32 are caused to abut against the
inner inclined portion 33 of the outer tube 15, because there is a
gap between the inner wall 38 of the outer tube 15 and the
outwardly projecting portions 32 of the head portions 53.
Therefore, the spring 27 is compressed and the outer tube 15 is
moved to the left in FIG. 1. This is shown in FIG. 2. The spring 27
serves to push the outer tube 15 toward the right side in FIG. 2 at
any time.
As the plug part is inserted into the receptacle part further from
a position as shown in FIG. 2, wherein the outwardly projecting
portions 32 abut against the inner inclined portion 33 of the outer
tube 15, the outer recesses 43 provided on the outer periphery of
the tubular body 18 come to the inwardly projecting portions 26 of
the connecting ring 58 and then the portions 26 fall into the
recesses 43 because of resiliency of the leg portions 29 to cause
the outwardly projecting portions 32 to be disengaged from the
inner inclined portion 33 of the outer tube 15 and spaced from the
inner wall 40 of the outer tube 15. This allows the outer tube 15
to be moved to a position shown in FIG. 1 by the spring 27. In this
position, even if the cable 22 or 33 is axially and outwardly
pulled for some cause, the connector can be kept coupled because
the outwardly projecting portions 32 are caused to abut against the
inner wall 40 to prevent the inwardly projecting portions 26 from
getting out of the outer recesses 43.
On the other hand, only if the outer tube 15 is moved to the left
side in FIG. 1 against the spring 27 until the inner inclined
portion 33 comes to the position of the outwardly projecting
portions 32 to permit the inwardly projecting portions 26 to get
the connector can easily be decoupled.
Although the shape of the head portions of the connection ring 58
has been illustrated in FIG. 5, it may be a shape as shown left in
FIG. 6. Preferably, a rod 49 may be involved in the head portions
to reduce the size of the head portions, as shown right in FIG.
6.
Thus, the coupling device of this invention can be easily and
quickly coupled or decoupled only by a pushing force or only by a
pulling force. The coupling and decoupling of the present connector
need neither torsinal force nor rotational force.
While specific embodiments of the coupling devices of this
invention have been described with particularity, it is recognized
that various modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in
the art. Therefore, the scope of this invention is to be limited
solely by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
* * * * *