Circular plug connector with anti-rotation mechanism

A circular plug connector comprising:

• a plug shell having a mating end configured to be mated with a mating connector, the plug shell having a cavity;
• a plug insert received in the cavity,
• plug contacts held in the plug insert, the plug contacts having mating ends configured to be mated with mating contacts of the mating connector;
• an outer coupling ring rotatable about the plug shell, the outer coupling ring including threads configured to be threadably coupled to the mating connector;
• and
• an anti-rotation mechanism between the plug shell and the outer coupling ring to resist rotation of the outer coupling ring relative to the plug shell, the anti-rotation mechanism including a locking ball, a biasing member interfacing with the locking ball, and a clicker disk, the clicker disk including a ring plate surrounding the plug shell and an array of dimples circumferentially spaced apart along the ring plate, the dimples being oval shaped being elongated in a radial direction between a first side and a second side of the dimple, the dimples defining a radially inner circumferential track for the locking ball at the first side of each dimple and a radially outer circumferential track for the locking ball at the second side of each dimple, the locking ball being received in the dimple at the first side when in the radially inner circumferential track, the locking ball being received in the dimple at the second side when in the radially outer circumferential track.

A connector system comprising:

• a circular plug connector and a circular mating connector coupled together;
• the circular mating connector including an outer housing having a mating end and an inner housing received in a cavity of the outer housing, the inner housing holding mating contacts, the outer housing having external threads;
• the circular plug connector including a plug shell having a mating end received in the cavity of the outer housing, the plug shell having a cavity;
• the circular plug connector including a plug insert received in the cavity,
• the circular plug connector including plug contacts held in the plug insert, the plug contacts having mating ends mated with the mating contacts of the circular mating connector;
• the circular plug connector including an outer coupling ring rotatable about the plug shell, the outer coupling ring including threads configured to be threadably coupled to the external threads of the outer housing to secure the circular plug connector to the circular mating connector;
• and
• the circular plug connector including an anti-rotation mechanism between the plug shell and the outer coupling ring to resist rotation of the outer coupling ring relative to the plug shell, the anti-rotation mechanism including a locking ball, a biasing member interfacing with the locking ball, and a clicker disk, the clicker disk including a ring plate surrounding the plug shell and an array of dimples circumferentially spaced apart along the ring plate, the ring plate having a front and a rear, the dimples being open at the front and closed at the rear to form pockets that receive the locking ball.