Anti-decoupling arrangement for an electrical connector

Abstract

An anti-decoupling arrangement for an electrical connector includes a spiral lock clutch, a spring ring, and a separate ratchet wheel or tooth ring having a plurality of radial cuts, all surrounding the connector shell and sandwiched between a flange or shoulder on the connector shell by a conventional snap ring. The tooth ring is situated in a space between the thread of the coupling nut and the flange or shoulder that forms the inner surface of a recessed area with the coupling nut. The shell includes two grooves, one for the spiral lock clutch and the other for the snap ring, that are behind the flange or shoulder towards the rear of the connector, the shell providing axial alignment of all components except the spring ring. The tooth ring also includes extensions that cooperate with a notch or slot in the coupling nut so that the tooth ring rotates with the coupling nut, while the spring ring includes an extension in engagement with a notch in the spiral lock clutch so that the spring ring is locked against angular rotation relative to a spring ring. Preferably, the spring ring member is a self supporting ring that has spring tines or beams of a given number located angularly around its radial wall. These tines provide the ratchet mechanism when the tines glide over the radial cuts of the tooth ring in the uncoupling direction. This provides a free running clutch in the coupling direction and a torque/ratchet mechanism in the uncoupling direction. Alternatively, the decoupling assembly may be flipped by 180 degrees, the tooth ring being replaced by teeth extending axially from an inwardly extending flange in the coup ling nut.