Patent Grant
9437952
This application claims priority to Indian Patent Application No. 60/MUM/2015 filed Jan. 7, 2015, entitled “A CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY HAVING SELF-ADJUSTING MALE AND FEMALE CONNECTOR ELEMENTS” and Indian Patent Application No. 208/MUM/2015 filed Jan. 21, 2015, entitled “A CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY HAVING SELF-ADJUSTING MALE AND FEMALE CONNECTOR ELEMENTS.”
The present disclosure relates to a connector assembly, particularly, the present disclosure relates to a connector assembly that achieves a desired fit between male and female connector sub-assemblies thereof.
The connectors are used in various applications, for example, electrical connectors are used for connecting electrical elements used for continuous transmission of power. Generally, the connector assembly includes a male connector sub-assembly and a female connector sub-assembly. The male connector sub-assembly includes a conductive male pin contact at the front and the base portion for electrical wire termination or connection with an insulated cover body assembled over the conductive male pin contact. The female connector sub-assembly includes a conductive female sleeve contact at the front and the base portion for electrical wire termination or connection with an insulated cover body assembled on the conductive female sleeve contact.
The conductive female sleeve contact of the female connector sub-assembly receives the conductive male pin contact of the male connector sub-assembly for configuring the connector assembly. The male and female connector sub-assemblies are connected to each other via engagement between the conductive male pin contact and the conductive female sleeve contact to configure the connector assembly used for continuous transmission of power in the most extreme conditions. Typical applications include use as a connector assembly for transmission of power from generator sets to switchgear or SCR (silicon-controlled rectifiers) controls, from a control house to the traction motors, mud pumps, draw works, rotary tables, cement pumps and top drives. More specifically, the electrical connector assembly is used for connecting an electrical cable to a fixed mating connector. Certain electrical connector assemblies are configured specifically to cater to the drilling rig industry. These connector assemblies are configured for applications where the connector assemblies are required to operate in the most extreme service conditions and are subjected to up to 1,000 Volts AC or DC voltage and up to 1,135 Amps of continuous power.
The field assembly and the installation of many inland drilling rigs have been using single pole electrical connector assemblies that can be prepared in the field. These connector assemblies take different forms, including pin and collet type connector assemblies or plug and receptacle type connector assemblies. All of these types of connector assemblies, particularly, the plug and receptacle type connector assemblies require a desired fit between elements of a plug or a male connector sub-assembly and a receptacle or a female connector sub-assembly to ensure minimal resistance to the high current loads.
However, due to the extreme service conditions to which the connector assembly is subjected to, it is difficult to maintain a desired fit between the elements of the male and female connector sub-assemblies of the connector assembly. Particularly, the connector assemblies are subjected to most extreme service conditions and have to withstand vibrations, shocks and wear and tear. Generally, the elements of the male and female connector sub-assemblies, particularly, the engaging conductive male pin contact and conductive female sleeve contact wear out and fail to maintain the necessary tight fit between the male and female connector sub-assemblies and because of improper contact between the male and female connector sub-assemblies, the connection assembly fails to efficiently transmit power there-though due to high resistance to the high current loads and there are chances of power leakage and damage to the connector assembly.
To achieve the desired fit between the conductive male pin contact and the conductive female sleeve contact of the respective male and female connector assemblies of the connector assembly, the use of a self-adjustable male connector assembly has been suggested in the prior art, wherein the conductive male pin contact of the male connector assembly has a split pin configuration that facilitates in adjusting the conductive male pin's external diameter. In case of the split pin configuration of the conductive male pin contact, the conductive male pin contact is cut into two halves by a slot cut along the length of the conductive male pin contact. A Belleville washer and a fixing stud mechanism are generally used within the slot to make small adjustments in the external diameter of the conductive male pin contact. A fixing stud is driven into the conductive male pin contact that exerts a force against the Belleville washer. By increasing this force, the two sides of the conductive male pin contact are separated and selectively urged away from each other resulting in a slight increase in the diameter of the conductive male pin contact to ensure the necessary fit thereof with the female sleeve contact of the female connector sub-assembly. The female sleeve contact of the female connector sub-assembly has a uniform internal diameter along the conductive length thereof for receiving the conductive male pin contact therein.
However, such a configuration of connector assembly wherein diameter of the conductive male pin contact can be adjusted has certain drawbacks associated therewith. More specifically, the variable diameter conductive male pin contact of the male connector sub-assembly of the connector assembly is field adjustable, however, adjusting the diameter of the conductive male pin contact in the field is not desirable as field operators often lack the knowledge and expertise to make the fine adjustments required for such connections. Accordingly, there is a need for a connector assembly that provides selective access to the adjusting mechanism of the conductive male pin connector of the male connector sub-assembly and may only permit factory adjustment of the male and female connector sub-assemblies for achieving the necessary fit between the conductive male pin contact and the conductive female sleeve contact of the respective male and female connector assemblies by skilled and trained professionals only and restrains field adjustment of the conductive male pin contact and the conductive female sleeve contact of the respective male and female connector assemblies.
The prior art also discloses a connector assembly that permits factory adjustment of the connector sub-assemblies for achieving the necessary fit between engaging elements of the connector sub-assemblies, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,442,096 discloses a connector assembly having a variable diameter conductive male pin contact that permits factory adjustment only. More specifically, the conductive male pin contact of the connector assembly includes an adjustment port with threaded hole configured on one side of the tip of the conductive male pin contact, wherein the port receives an adjustment screw that urges a Belleville washer arrangement disposed within a slit axially configured on the conductive male pin contact for adjusting the diameter of the conductive male pin contact by adjusting spacing between the portions of the conductive male pin contact separated by the slot. The access to the adjustment screw is selective so that the adjustment of the conductive male pin's diameter can be performed by skilled and trained professionals only. More specifically, the male sub-assembly includes an adjustment port safety cap for providing selective access to the adjustment screw for permitting factory adjustment of the conductive male pin's diameter only. Such a configuration of the male connector sub-assembly facilitates adjustment of the conductive male connector pin's diameter prior to installation of the safety cap. However, such configuration of the adjustment mechanism for adjusting conductive the male connector pin's diameter is ineffective because of limited contact between the Belleville of the Belleville washer arrangement and the portions of the conductive male connector pin separated by the slot. Further, the gap between the portions of the conductive male connector pin is increased to increase the diameter of the conductive male connector pin by decompressing the Belleville washer arrangement and is not controlled. Further, with such configuration the adjusting of diameter of the conductive male connector pin is not uniform along the contact length.
However, none of the prior art provides any provision for adjusting the dimension of the conductive female sleeve contact of the female connector sub-assembly for ensuring a tight fit between the male and female connector sub-assemblies. More specifically, the contact surface of the conductive female sleeve contact wears during service after assembly and may cause a poor fit between the conductive male pin contact and the conductive female sleeve contact of the respective male and female connector assemblies. In case of a conventional connector assembly, the contact force between the contact surface of the conductive male pin contact and the conductive female sleeve contact of the respective male and female connector assemblies is not uniform along the length of the connector assembly, particularly, the contact force varies from a maximum at the tip of the conductive male pin contact to a minimum at the tip of the conductive female sleeve contact and is detrimental for maintaining proper contact between the engaging elements of the male and female connector assemblies that results in inefficient power transmission.
Accordingly, there is a need for a connector assembly that has provision for adjusting the internal diameter of the conductive female sleeve contact of the female connector sub-assembly along with provision for adjusting the external diameter of the conductive male connector pin of the male connector sub-assembly for ensuring a tight fit between the male and female connector sub-assemblies. Further, there is a need for a connector assembly that ensures uniform contact force between the contact surfaces of the conductive male connector pin and conductive female sleeve of the respective male and female connector assemblies along the length of the connector assembly. Further, there is a need for a connector assembly having such a configuration that the access to the adjustment mechanism for adjusting the internal and external diameters of the conductive male connector pin and conductive female sleeve of the respective male and female connector sub-assemblies is selective so as to permit factory adjustment of the engaging elements of the male and female connector sub-assemblies by skilled and trained professionals only.
Some of the objects of the present disclosure aimed to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative are listed herein below.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly having self-adjusting male and female connector sub-assemblies for improving contact and achieving necessary fit between the engaging elements of the male and female connector sub-assemblies.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that ensures uniform contact force between the contact surfaces of the conductive male connector pin and conductive female sleeve of the respective male and female connector assemblies along the length of the connector assembly.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly, wherein the connector assembly has such a configuration that permits factory adjustment of engaging elements, particularly, conductive male connector pin and conductive female sleeve of respective male and female connector sub-assemblies thereof by skilled and trained professionals only and restrains field adjustment of the engaging elements.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that prevents unintentional disengagement between conductive male pin and conductive female sleeve of respective male and female connector sub-assemblies of the connector assembly.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that is simple in construction and convenient to use.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that is reliable.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that requires minimum maintenance.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that is tamper resistant.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that maintains necessary fit between the engaging elements of the male and female connector sub-assemblies even after regular and pro-longed service and exhibits enhanced service life.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that has ergonomic construction and that permits convenient release of a connection between engaging elements of the male and female connector sub-assemblies of the connector assembly when intended.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly for a panel mounting system that is easy to use and configures a secure connection between male and female sub-assemblies of the connector assembly.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that is having quick-connect feature for achieving quick assembly between male and female sub-assemblies of the connector assembly.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that ensures better surface contact between conductive male connector pin and conductive female sleeve of respective male and female connector sub-assemblies while still requiring lesser insertion forces, thereby enhancing the service life of the connection assembly.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that eliminates chances of field adjustment by unskilled field operators by not providing any provision for field adjustment, thereby reducing assembly time and eliminating the risks of accidents, disruption of services due to improper fitment of engaging elements of male and female connector sub-assemblies thereof by unskilled field operators.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector assembly that provides interchangeability with existing connector assembly already being used.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
A connector assembly is disclosed in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The connector assembly includes a male connector sub-assembly and a female connector sub-assembly. The male connector sub-assembly includes a conductive male pin contact shrouded by an insulator cover body. The conductive male pin contact includes a first and a second portion configured by longitudinally bi-furcating the conductive male pin contact. The conductive male pin contact includes a chamfered portion, a radially adjusting mechanism and an adjustment screw. The chamfered portion is axially configured on the conductive male pin contact. The radially adjusting mechanism is received within the chamfered portion and moves the first and second portions of the conductive male pin contact relative to each other. The adjustment screw axially passes through the conductive male pin contact and interacts with and radially moves the radially adjusting mechanism to adjust the gap between the first and second portions to adjust conductive male pin contact's external diameter. The insulated cover body is assembled over the conductive male pin contact. The female connector sub-assembly includes a conductive female sleeve contact shrouded by another insulated cover body. The conductive female sleeve contact is having a tubular configuration that receives the conductive male pin contact. The conductive female sleeve contact further includes a plurality of longitudinal slits configured thereon, wherein walls of the conductive female sleeve contact are urged radially inwards towards the conductive male pin contact received therein to maintain contact there-between by a spring element circumscribing the conductive female sleeve contact.
Typically, either of the conductive male pin contact and conductive female sleeve contact of the respective male and female connector assemblies are self-adjustable for facilitating adjusting of respective external and internal diameters thereof.
Alternatively, both of the conductive male pin contact and conductive female sleeve contact of the respective male and female connector assemblies are self-adjustable for facilitating adjusting of respective external and internal diameters thereof.
Typically, the first and the second portions are identical as the first and second portions are configured by longitudinally bi-furcating the conductive male pin contact along a plane passing through center of the conductive male pin contact.
Alternatively, the first and the second portion are non-identical as the first and second portions are configured by longitudinally bi-furcating the conductive male pin contact along a plane passing offset from the center of the conductive male pin contact.
Typically, the radially adjusting mechanism is a Belleville washer sub-assembly that includes an operative bottom Belleville washer and an operative top Belleville washer. The operative bottom Belleville washer rests on the chamfered portion and is functionally coupled to the first and second portions of the conductive male pin contact. The operative top Belleville washer is spaced from the operative bottom Belleville washer and is moved relative to the operative bottom Belleville washer by the adjustment screw to cause radial movement of the operative bottom Belleville washer for facilitating adjusting of gap between the first and second portions of the conductive male pin contact, thereby adjusting conductive male pin contact's external diameter.
Alternatively, the radially adjusting mechanism is a conical spring sub-assembly that includes a conical spring element and a washer. The conical spring element rests inside a conical cavity configured on an operative top end of the conductive male pin contact and is functionally coupled to the first and second portions of the male connector element. The washer is disposed over the conical spring element and is moved relative to the conical spring element by the adjustment screw to cause radial movement of the conical spring element for facilitating adjusting of the gap between the first and second portions of the conductive male pin contact, thereby adjusting the conductive male pin contact's external diameter.
Further, the connector assembly includes a safety cap secured to an end portion of the conductive male pin contact for providing selective access to the adjustment screw for permitting factory adjustment of conductive male pin contact only.
Typically, the adjustment screw engages with a threaded hole that is axially extending through the conductive male pin contact.
The system of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawings, in which:
The connector assembly of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description relates purely to the examples and preferred embodiments of the disclosed device and its suggested applications.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The present disclosure envisages a connector assembly. The connector assembly includes a male connector sub-assembly and a female connector sub-assembly. The male connector sub-assembly includes a conductive male pin contact and an insulated cover body for the conductive male pin contact. The female connector sub-assembly includes a conductive female sleeve contact and an insulated cover body for the conductive female sleeve contact. The conductive female sleeve contact is self-adjusting and has provision for adjusting a conductive diameter of conductive female sleeve contact. The conductive male pin contact is self-adjusting and has provision for adjusting the conductive male pin contact's external diameter for ensuring a tight fit between the conductive male pin contact and the conductive female sleeve contact of the respective male and female connector sub-assemblies, thereby ensuring proper electrical contact between the conductive male pin contact and the conductive female sleeve contact of the respective male and female connector assemblies and efficient power transmission. The male connector sub-assembly of the connector assembly has such a configuration that the access to an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the conductive male pin contact's external diameter is selective so as to permit factory adjustment of the conductive male pin contact's external diameter by skilled and trained professionals only. The adjustment mechanism for adjusting the conductive male pin contact's external diameter is a Belleville washer mechanism that urges portions of the conductive male pin contact radially outwards. The Belleville washer adjustment mechanism is positioned vertically with the Belleville washers coaxially arranged within a chamfered portion configured on the conductive male pin contact and an axially moving adjustment screw actuates the Belleville washers to cause radial movement of the Belleville washer mechanism unlike conventional adjustment arrangement in which the radial movement of the adjustment screw actuates the Belleville washer mechanism. The self-adjusting conductive female sleeve contact of the female connector sub-assembly has two (or more) longitudinal slits extending along the contact length thereof and a wire spring circumscribing the conductive female sleeve contact urges the conductive female sleeve contact radially inwards towards the conductive male pin contact received therein to maintain contact force between the conductive male pin contact and the conductive female sleeve contact of the respective male and female connector sub-assemblies. With such configuration of the conductive female sleeve contact of the female connector sub-assembly the conductive diameter of the conductive female sleeve contact of the female connector sub-assembly is made adjustable and the wearing of the contact surface of the conductive female sleeve contact of the female connector sub-assembly is reduced. Further, with such configuration the connector assembly achieves good contact force and good contact area between the conductive male pin contact and the conductive female sleeve contact of the respective male and female connector sub-assemblies. Still further, with such configuration the connector assembly achieves efficiently distributed contact force along the contact length as the Belleville washer arrangement in the conductive male pin contact and the external wire spring circumscribing the conductive female sleeve contact exert radial contact force at both the ends of contact length.
Referring to
The Belleville Washer arrangement 114 includes vertically positioned two unequal Belleville washers.
The connector assembly 100 also includes a female connector sub-assembly which in turn includes a self-adjustable conductive female sleeve contact 120 that has provision for adjusting the internal dimension thereof.
The technical advancements offered by the connector assembly of the present disclosure include the realization of:
Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
Any discussion of materials, devices or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60/MUM/2015 | Jan 2015 | IN | national |
| 208/MUM/2015 | Jan 2015 | IN | national |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20160197429 A1 | Jul 2016 | US |
