Electrical connector assembly

An electrical connector assembly including a pair of electrical connector housings (10, 20) which are movable from a decoupled position to a mated position, a coupling ring (50) mounted for rotation on one housing (20) and arranged to be threaded on the other housing (10) to move and couple the housings together in the mated position, and means (72, 74, 82, 84) operative between said coupling ring and one of said housings for resisting unwanted rotation of the coupling ring, said assembly characterized in that:

• said one housing (20) includes a first portion (70) having a frusto-conical surface (72) comprised of an elastically deformable material;
• said coupling ring (50) includes a second portion (80) comprised of an elastically deformable material having a frusto-conical surface (82) confronting the first portion (70);
• a plurality of sockets (84) disposed in one of said frusto-conical surfaces (82);
• and
• an integral protuberance (74) comprised of an elastically deformable material extending outwardly from the other of said frusto-conical surfaces (72), said protuberance being received in one of said plurality of sockets and required to undergo elastic deformation to succeed into other of said sockets upon application of an external torque tending to rotate the coupling ring, whereby as external torque is applied to the coupling ring the first and second surfaces and the protuberance elastically deform and the protuberance is constrained to succeed from the one socket to the next socket.

An electrical connector assembly of the type having:

• a first housing (20) having a central axis, a forward engaging portion (20a), a rearward portion (20b), and an annular groove around the rearward portion;
• at least one first electrical contact (26) mounted in the housing;
• and
• a coupling ring (50) rotatably mounted to and disposed around the first housing (20), said coupling ring having a rear portion (52) and a cylindrical forward portion (50a) connecting to a similar second housing (10) having at least one second electrical contact (16) mating with said first electrical contact (26), characterized by:
• said coupling ring (50) including a first tapered surface (82) of elastically deformable plastic disposed therearound;
• and
• one of said housings (20) having a radial flange (22) including a second tapered surface (72) of elastically deformable plastic disposed therearound;
• said first tapered surface (82) of elastically deformable plastic including a plurality of sockets (84) extending inwardly therein;
• and
• said second tapered surface (72) including a plurality of protuberances (74) extending outwardly therefrom and fit within succeeding of the sockets (84) on the coupling ring, elastic deformation of each said protuberance being required for the coupling ring to rotate.

An electrical connector assembly comprising a connector housing having a primary axis, a coupling ring rotatably mounted to said connector housing, and means for reducing rotation of the coupling ring, said resisting means being characterized in that:

• said connector housing includes a first surface;
• said coupling ring includes a second surface disposed in confronting relation to the first surface;
• and
• one and the other said first and second surfaces include, respectively, a plurality of sockets and a plurality of protuberances spaced equiangularly therearound, each said socket extending inwardly into its respective surface, and each said protuberance being comprised of an elastically deformable plastic material and extending outwardly from its respective surface, each of said sockets and protuberances being generally hemispherically shaped and each of the protuberances being received within respective of the sockets and each being required to elastically deform in order to advance into its next adjacent socket upon application of an external torque tending to rotate the coupling ring, whereby as the coupling ring is rotated each protuberance elastically deforms and advances to its next succeeding socket.