Trompeter Electronics, Inc.

Frank Quach

Jose Silva

Gregory S Brown

An insulating member has two (2) spring arms each normally biased to a first position and each pivotable to a second position. A pin in a housing at one end of the spring arms provides the spring arm pivot fulcrum. Resilient electrical conductors extend through apertures in the other ends of the spring arms. Looped portions in the conductors at positions beyond the apertures resiliently engage, respectively, probes and shield casings in a pair of electrical connectors when the spring arms are biased to the first positions. Additional looped portions in the conductors at positions between the apertures may be fixedly positioned relative to the housing by an insulating pin extending into the housing to the approximate center of such additional looped portions. The probes and shield casings are included in coaxial connectors disposed within the housing. The connectors include insulators between the probes and the shield casings. The connectors are coaxial with a pair of barrels disposed within the housing. A plug having a central pin, a shield and a coaxial casing is insertable into individual ones of the barrels to displace the electrical conductors from the probe coaxial with the plug and to establish an electrical circuit between (a) the pin and the probe (b) the shield casing in such connector and the plug shield and (c) the coaxial casing in the plug and the individual one of the barrels. When the plug is not inserted into either barrel, an electrical circuit includes the probes and the shield casings in the electrical conductors.

Connector assembly

A member has two (2) spring arms each movable between first and second positions. Each spring arm is normally biased to a first position and is movable to a second position. Each spring arm has at its free end an insulator and a conductor disposed on the insulator. The insulator isolates the conductor electrically from the associated spring arm. An electrical lead is connected between the conductors. In the first position of the spring arms, the electrical conductors engage individual ones of a pair of probes and establish common probe potentials. Each probe is disposed coaxially in an insulator in an individual one of a pair of electrical connectors and the insulator is disposed coaxially in a casing in the connector. The probe extends axially beyond the insulator and the casing in each connector so that the associated electrical conductor is able to engage the probe in that connector in the first position of the spring arm. This causes the two (2) connectors to be connected in series in this first relationship. When the spring arm associated with an individual one of the connectors is moved to a second position, the electrical conductor engages a first terminal in an impedance (e.g. a resistor) having a second terminal common with the connector casings to establish a reference potential (e.g. ground). In this second relationship, the electrical connector forms a circuit which includes the moved conductor, the impedance and the casing ground.

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Northridge, CA, United States of America

Frank Quach