Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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~289213
SELF-ALIGNING ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to electrical
connectors having male and female couplers and, in
particular, to a self-aligning multiple pin connector
S for aligning and connecting the male and female
couplers in a blind environment.
~ACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Machines and electrical devices commonly require
the use of electrical connectors comprising a male
plug inserted into a female socket. Such electrical
connectors allow the device, or components of the
device, to be disconnected rom electrical power to
allow disassembly, maintenance, or repair of the
device.
Electrical connectors for complex machinery may
include a plurality of electrical pins on a male
coupler which mate with a corresponding plurality of
j pin sockets in a female coupler. The couplers are
generally shaped or notched so that they can be
connected in only one orientation to allow proper
mating of the respective pins and sockets.
In some situations requiring multiple pin
electrical connectors, the connector must be
positioned in a location inaccessible to human
reach. In such situations it is usually possible to
provide either or both of the couplers with an extra
length of electrical cable. The couplers can be
connected by extending the electrical cable when the
components of the device are separated, and the cable
can be coiled in a suitable place when the components
are joined. However, in other blind environments the
use of extra cable may be undesirable or impossible.
In a helicopter, for example, an electrical
connection is required inside the rotor mast
assembly. In the past this type of connection
typically involved couplers having an extra length of
coiled wire that had to be fed up through a standpipe
60 that the slipring assembly of the rotor mast could
be electrially connected or disconnected from the
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aircraft. However, highly sophisticated aircraft can
require electrical cables having diameters of 1 1/2
inches or more. In such aircraft it may not be
possible to provide electrical connectors with extra
lengths of cable because it is difficult or
impossible to coil such cables sufficiently due to
the minimum bend radius of approximately 10 times the
diameter of the cable. Furthermore, the substantial
weight of an extra length of coiled cable is
undesirable in aircraft where weight savinqs is a
major consideration.
Providing a multiple pin electrical connector in
a standpipe inaccessible to human reach and sight
requires a self-aligning connector for properly
orienting and engaging the pins of the connector.
~hus, a need has been identified for a self-aligning
multiple pin electrical connector that provides
proper aligning and mating of the pins of the
electrical connector in a blind environment
inaccessible to human reach and sight.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a self-aligning
multiple pin electrical connector for aligning and
connecting male and female couplers in a blind
environment. The connector comprises a male coupler
having a plurality of electrical pins and a female
coupler having a corresponding plura}ity of pin
sockets.
The female coupler comprises a plurality of pin
sockets extending parallel to the longitudinal axis
of the coupler. A threaded socket is provided at the
longitudinal axis of the coupler. An open-ended
cylindrical standpipe is attached to and extends
axially from the female coupler. The rim of the open
- 15 end of the standpipe forms a cam which slopes toward
a lug slot in the standpipe that extends axially
toward the female coupler.
The male coupler includes a longitudinal bore
along its axis and a plurality of electrical pins
extending parallel to the axis. A cam follower,
which may comprise a roller, extends radially outward
from the male coupler. The electrical connector is
joined by inserting the male coupler into the
standpipe of the female coupler. The cam follower
engages the cam of the standpipe and rotates the male
coupler about its axis as the cam follower is guided
by the cam into the lug slot. With the cam follower
; in the lug slot the pins of the male coupler are
aligned with the sockets of the female coupler. A
jackscrew extending through the bore of the male
coupler engages the threaded socket of the female
coupler to draw the couplers together and mate the
pins with the pin sockets. Thus, the alignment and
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1289213
mating of the pins of the male coupler with the
sockets of the female coupler can be accomplished in
a blind environment inaccessible to human reach and
sight.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the present
invention and for further advantages thereof,
reference is made to the following Description of the
~referred Embodiment taken in conjunction with the
accompanying Drawings, in which:
FIGURE 1 is an isometric drawing of the
disconnected male and female couplers of the
electrical connector of the present invention; and
FIGURE 2 is.an axial view of the female coupler
of the present invention taken in the direction
indicated by the section line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.
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DESCRIPTION OF T~E PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the self-aligning
multiple pin electrical connector of the present
invention is illustrated with the couplers
disconnected. The electrical connector comprises a
male coupler 10 having a plurality of electrical pins
11 and a female coupler 20 having a corresponding
plurality of pin sockets 21.
The male coupler 10 has a longitudinal bore 12
along the axis 13 of the male coupler 10. The
electrical pins 11 extend from the coupler 10
parallel to the axis 13. A cam follower lug 14
extends radially outward from the coupler 10. A
roller 15 may be mounted to rotate about the cam
follower lug 14. The male coupler 10 may also
include an anti-drive lug 16 extending radially
outward from the coupler 10 on the side opposite the
cam follower 14. The lug 16 has a diameter less than
that of the cam follower 14. The embodiment of the
male coupler 10 adapted for a helicopter rotor mast
may include a slip ring assembly 17 which is
rotatable about the male coupler 10.
The female coupler 20 includes a plurality of
pin sockets 21 corresponding to the plurality of pins
11. A threaded socket 22 is positioned at the axis
of the fem?le coupler 20. An open-ended cylindrical
standpipe 23 i8 attsched to and extends axially from
the female coupler 20. The rim of the open end of
the standpipe 23 forms a cam 24 which slopes toward a
lug slot 25 in the standpipe 23 that extends toward
the female coupler 20. The standpipe 23 may include
a second lug slot 26 on the opposite side of the
standpipe 23 from the lug slot 25. The width of the
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lug slot 26 is less than the diameter of the cam
follower roller 15.
In a helicopter, the female coupler 20 of the
present invention is positioned inside the rotor mast
assembly. In this location, the pins 11 of the male
coupler 10 must be aligned and mated with the pin
sockets 21 of the female coupler 20 without being
observed. During connection, the male coupler 10 is
inserted into the rotor mast assembly with the pins
11 extending toward the female coupler 20. The
roller 15 of the cam follower 14 contacts the cam 24
of the standpipe 23 of the female coupler 20. The
diameter of the cam follower roller 15 is greater
than the width of the slot 26 to prevent improper
alignment of the pins 11 with the pin sockets 21 as a
result of the cam follower 14 becoming engaged in the
slot 26. The cam follower 14 and roller 15 follow
the cam 24 which leads toward the cam follower slot
25. The action of the cam follower 14 on the ca~n 24
causes the male coupler 10 to rotate about its axis
13 to align the pins 11 with their respective pin
sockets 21. When the cam follower 14 is in the slot
25, the pins 11 and sockets 21 are properly
aligned. In addition, when the cam follower 14 is in
the ~lot 25 the anti-drive lug 16 is aligned to
engage the slot 26.
With the cam follower 14 in the slot 25 of the
standpipe 23 and the pins 11 aligned with the sockets
21, a jackscrew 30 extending through the bore 12
engages the threaded socket 22 of the female coupler
20. The jackscrew 30 and the threaded socket 22 are
used to draw the male coupler 10 into the female
coupler 20 so that the pins 11 mate with their
respective pins 21.
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Whereas the present invention has been described
with respect to a specific embodiment thereof, it is
apparent that various changes and modifications will
be suggested to one skilled in the art, and it is
intended that the present invention encompass such
changes and modifications as fall within the scope of
the appended claims.
