Patent · US Expired

Self-locking electrical connector

US4544224A · kind A · utility

8Cited by
9References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 7, 1982
Grant dateOct 1, 1985
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 7, 2002

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01R13/6584
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A self-locking electrical connector is disclosed in which a locking ring is mounted in an annular groove in the interior of a coupling nut on the plug of the connector. When the plug is mated with the receptacle, inwardly extending projections on the locking ring ride up over a low-angle ramp on the shell of the receptacle and then snap into a locking groove formed in the receptacle shell behind the ramp to lock the connector members together. The surface of the locking groove next to the low-angle ramp is formed as a high-angle ramp which allows removal of the projections of the ring from the groove when the coupling nut is rotated with high torque to unthread from the shell. In an alternative embodiment, the locking ring is carried by the receptacle shell, and the locking groove and angular ramps are formed on the inner surface of the coupling nut.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.