The Bendix Corporation

Amphenol Corporation

Allied Corporation

David O Gallusser

David L Frear

Valentine J Hemmer

Stephen Punako

Gary C Toombs

James B LeBaron

David W MacAvoy

Brendon A Baldwin

Robert W Brush

R Amelia Piscitelli

Gene L Snyder

Charles P Fischer

John Henry Mikolaicyk

Gregory John Oleksik

Ann E Peterson

Warren R Williams, Jr

Carl R Joslyn

Mark Flederbach

Alan L Schildkraut

Herbert K Uhlig

Richard Lewis Barnes, Jr

Heath Allen Johnson

James Bordeau

Joseph M Buck

David J Marmillion

Ryan C Wade

Benardino F Porcaro

Gary Sumner Gay

Brian R Hackler

Donald L Pfendler

Jon P Bixby

Gregory John Olesik

Robert G Wheeler

A connector coupling that comprises a connector body, a first collar rotatably coupled to the connector body that has a plurality of teeth extending from an inner surface thereof, a second collar that receives the first collar and is movable axially with respect to the first collar. A ratchet ring is supported by the connector body and has a plurality of teeth corresponding to the plurality of teeth of the first collar. The ratchet ring is axially moveable with respect to the connector body between an engaged position and a disengaged position. A biasing member is supported by the connector body adjacent the ratchet ring. The biasing member biases the ratchet ring in the engaged position. The second set of teeth of the ratchet ring engage the first set of teeth of the first collar when the ratchet ring is in the engaged position, and the second set of teeth of the ratchet ring are spaced from the first set of teeth of the first collar and the ratchet ring engages the second collar when the ratchet ring is in the disengaged position.

Anti-vibration connector coupling with an axially movable ratchet ring and a collar

A connector coupling that comprises a connector body, a first collar coupled to the connector body, and a second collar surrounding the first collar. The first collar has a plurality of locking members. The second collar is rotatable with respect to the first collar between first and second positions. A ratchet ring is supported by the connector body and has a plurality of locking members corresponding to the plurality of locking members of the first collar. The ratchet ring being axially movable with respect to the connector body between an engaged position and a disengaged position. A biasing member is supported by the connector body adjacent the ratchet ring. The biasing member biases the ratchet ring in the engaged position. Rotating the second collar from the first position to the second position moves the ratchet ring from the engaged position, in which the plurality of locking members of the ratchet ring engage the plurality of the locking members of the first collar, to the disengaged position, in which the plurality of locking members of the ratchet ring are spaced from the plurality of locking members of the first collar, thereby allowing the first collar to rotate with respect to the connector body.

Anti-vibration connector coupling with an axially movable ratchet ring

A backshell assembly that includes a housing configured to terminate a cable. The housing has a main body defining a central longitudinal axis, a connector interface for mating with an electrical connector, and at least one adjustment extension extending from the main body opposite the connector interface and substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis. An adjustable strain relief structure is coupleable to the cable and the housing. The adjustable strain relief structure including at least one adjustment member cooperating with the adjustment extension of the housing such that the adjustment member is pivotable between different cable positions with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the housing. A movable locking member is coupleable with the adjustment extension of the housing and the adjustment member of the adjustable strain relief structure to releasably lock the adjustment member in a selected cable position with respect to the housing. A biasing member is supported by the locking member. The biasing member biasing the locking member into engagement with the adjustment extension of the housing and the adjustment member. The biasing member allows adjustment of the adjustment member between the different cable positions with respect to the adjustment extension of the housing without disassembly of the housing and the adjustable strain relief structure.

Strain relief backshell assembly

A backshell assembly that includes a housing configured to terminate a cable that has a main body defining a central longitudinal axis and a connector interface for mating with an electrical connector. At least one adjustment extension extends from the main body opposite the connector interface and substantially parallel to the central longitudinal axis. An adjustable strain relief structure is coupleable to the cable and the housing. The adjustable strain relief structure includes at least one adjustment member coupleable to the cable that cooperates with the adjustment extension of the housing such that the adjustment member is moveable between different cable positions with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the housing. A biasing member is disposed between the at least one adjustment member and the at least one adjustment extension of the main body. The biasing member biases the at least one adjustment member into engagement with the at least one adjustment extension.

A electrical cable assembly with hermaphroditic coupling with a high current rating, is disclosed. The electrical cable assembly with hermaphroditic coupling includes a pin contact terminal in a first coupling sleeve and a hyperboloid socket terminal in a second coupling sleeve. The pin contact terminal may be inserted within the second coupling sleeve, and the hyperboloid socket terminal may be inserted within the first coupling sleeve. The socket contact may include a RADSOK&#xae; socket. The first and second coupling sleeves are coupled together by urging the pin contact terminal into the hyperboloid socket terminal and rotating.

Hermaphroditic handle socket assembly and pin assembly

A termination arrangement for fiber optic cables includes a precision ceramic guide press fit into a sleeve on both the socket and pin termini. The precision ceramic guide of the socket terminus is extended through a bushing and alignment sleeve, and a compression spring is positioned between the bushing and a stepped washer secured in the connector so that the bushing, sleeve, and precision ceramic guide may all be moved relative to the stepped washer upon insertion of the ceramic guide of the pin terminus into the alignment sleeve. The length of each terminus is chosen so that any grommet on an environmentally sealed connector will always fall on a portion of the body which has the same diameter for each terminus so that one grommet can be used with a variety of different size cables. A rear section of both the pin and socket terminus bodies are stepped down to provide an area for the strength member of the fiber optic cable to be terminated to. By applying epoxy to the stepped down diameter of the rear bodies and the fiber optic cable jacketing, the strength member can be evenly distributed over the rear of the bodies and a shrink tube can be brought up over the outer jacketing of the fiber optic cable to the appropriate position and shrunk down in order to cure the epoxy, captivate the strength member, and seal the shrink tube to the fiber optic cable jacketing. The sleeve may alternatively be extended through the stepped washer and terminate in a threaded portion onto which the bushing may be threaded, the precision ceramic guide being press fit into the bushing rather than the sleeve so as to minimize the length of the hole that must be produced in the precision ceramic guide.

Pin and socket fiber optic termini

A standard hermaphroditic pneumatic glad-hand coupler includes a data bus connector containing a pair of contacts, each contact having an axis tangential to the arc along which the connector is carried during rotation of the coupler during establishment of a pneumatic connection. The pair of contacts can be in the form of a pair of hermaphroditic contacts, or one female and one male contact. In the female/male version, the female contact is surrounded on all sides except the mating and termination ends by an elastomeric dielectric projection and the male contact is situated in a pocket bordered by elastomeric dielectric material and arranged to receive the elastomeric dielectric projection when the male and female contacts are mated together upon coupling the glad-hand coupler with an identical glad-hand coupler so as to surround both contacts and also isolate the contacts from each other. In the hermaphroditic contact version, each of the contacts is partially surrounded by elastomeric dielectric projections which form pockets arranged to receive corresponding dielectric projections of a mating coupler and thereby completely surround and isolate each of the contacts from each other.

Electric/pneumatic hermaphroditic connector

A front connector insert includes a removable front portion and a rear portion which is fixed in the connector. The rear portion retains the terminus of an optical fiber or electrical cable, with the removable front portion being removable to expose the terminus for cleaning or testing. The removable front portion includes a latching clip having a detent at one end which engages an indentation in the fixed portion of the insert when the removable portion of the insert is aligned with the fixed portion such that the clips align with grooves in the fixed insert. Removal of the removable portion of the insert is accomplished using a simple removal tool having an L-shaped extension which is inserted into a corresponding L-shaped recess in the front insert, the removal tool being rotated following insertion so that the removable insert can easily be removed from the connector to expose the optical fiber termini and contacts and permit testing or cleaning. In the case of an optical fiber connector, alignment sleeves and/or tubes may be captured within the removable front portion of the insert so as to prevent loss of the alignment tubes or sleeves upon removal of the removable insert from the connector.

Front removable insert

A data bus coupler includes a plated composite housing and a plurality of twin axial contacts, the shielding portions of each contact being connected to the housing by a conductive insert which serves to retain the contacts in the connector. The coupler also includes a printed circuit board carrying transformers and isolation resistors for providing stub connections to a data bus line.

Composite canned data bus coupler connector

A current mode coupler for an unshielded twisted-pair cable includes an arrangement for establishing a low impedance, multiple point-of-contact electrical connection between a shielding base and cover. The grounding arrangement includes a conductive member on the cover which has an extension in the direction of assembly of the base to the cover, and resilient grounding fingers on the base for providing a wiping contact with the extensions on the conductive member when the base and cover are assembled to each other.

Current mode coupler with improved grounding

A current mode coupler for an unshielded twisted-pair cable includes an elastomeric signal wire and E-core positioning member with integral strain relief, tapered E-cores for improved coupling to the wires, a write signal core which is twice the size of the read signal core, an all metal core suspension, an overcenter spring biased mounting arrangement, a metal enclosure for improved shielding, a resilient latch which avoids the need for pivoting of an upper housing member relative to the base unit during assembly, and contoured edges and corners for reducing heat accumulation.

Current mode coupler

A resistance stack for terminating a data bus cable includes a stack of resistor chips, each having two conductively plated through holes. The resistance elements are kept in alignment and electrically connected to leads of the data bus cable by elongated members extending through the through holes. The elongated members may be discrete conductive rods, or soldered and pre-tinned leads of the cable. To facilitate assembly, solder preforms are provided between each of the resistor chips. The resistance stack is enclosed in a package which includes a cylindrical shell, a cable clamp, a cable strain relief member, and an end cap including a track for accommodating extensions of the elongated members beyond the last resistor in the stack, thereby aligning the elongated members. The package may be both electrically shielded and environmentally sealed.

Stacked termination resistance

A cable coupling, particularly for data buses, includes a transformer and resistors to which the cables are directly wired. The components and all electrical connections are enclosed in a heat shrinkable tubing or sleeve filled with liquid encapsulant. Upon application of heat, the tubing shrinks causing the encapsulant to fill all voids between components. The encapsulant is then cured to provide an uncased coupling assembly which protects the components and electrical connections from breakage, while eliminating the need for a separate rigid housing. An overbraided shield and environmental seal may subsequently be added to provide further protection for the coupling.

Uncased data bus coupler

A multiple pin connector includes a printed circuit board positioned between insulating components of a connector insert. The printed circuit board electrically connects together contacts of the connector and is affixed to the insulating components by a bonding material. The contacts pass through the insert and are soldered to traces on the circuit board to thereby group circuits at a first end of the connector into fewer circuits at an opposite end of the connector.

Electrical connector with combined circuits

A hermaphroditic coupling mechanism includes two identical coupling members, each including two latch arms and two detented locking ramp surfaces. The latch arms include surfaces which face a coupler interface, while the locking ramp surfaces face away from the interface. The latch arms are inserted through grooves in a collar on which the locking ramp surfaces are provided, and the members are then rotated relative to each other causing the surfaces on the latch arms to pass over detents on the locking surfaces, thereby locking the coupling members together against relative axial movement. The coupling members may be secured to respective contacts by a snap-fit arrangement.

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Oneonta, NY, United States of America

David O Gallusser