Connector for aircraft-to-ground maintenance electrical connection

A method for establishing an aircraft contact system of a type wherein a heavy power cable has an outer end portion with a plurality of sockets which can be pushed around a plurality of corresponding pins on an aircraft and wherein the plurality of sockets resists withdrawal sufficiently to support the weight of the cable outer end portion, comprising:

• establishing each of a group of sockets so each includes a substantially cylindrical hole, each hole having a groove which holds a contactor of the type that has a pair of spaced substantially circular bands connected by a plurality of radially inwardly bowed beams, with the centers of the beams lying on the surface of an imaginary cylinder of smaller diameter than a corresponding pin to provide an interference fit between the beams and pins;
• said step of establishing including providing a large enough interference betweeen said pin and beam centers that said beams are plastically deformed;
• inserting and withdrawing said pins from said group of sockets, to reduce the force required to withdraw the pins from the sockets until the withdrawal force drops to a substantially constant level;
• thereafter using said sockets at the end of a cable to contact pins on an aircraft at an airport.

A socket assembly which can receive and electrically connect to a substantially cylindrical pin contact of predetermined diameter and length, comprising:

• a primarily dielectric housing which has a socket-holding aperture;
• a socket lying in said aperture and having an outer end, said socket having a largely cylindrical hole extending into said outer end and having an internal groove in said hole, said groove being spaced from said outer end;
• a pair of multi-beam contactors lying in tandem in said internal groove, each contactor including a pair of opposite bands and a plurality of beams extending between said bands, said beams being bowed radially inwardly so the inside diameter of each of the contactors lying in the groove is less than the inside diameter of said cylindrical hole forward of said groove;
• said pair of contactors including a first contactor closest to said socket outer end and a second contactor lying on a side of said first contactor which is furthest from said socket outer end;
• the interference between said pin and contactors being sufficient that said contactors undergo plastic deformation when said pin is first inserted said hole, whereby to enable high interference to achieve high resistance to pin withdrawal.

An electrical connection assembly, comprising:

• a housing which includes a socket having an outer end, said socket having a largely cylindrical hole extending into said outer end and having an internal groove in said hole, said groove being spaced from said outer end;
• a pair of multi-beam contactors lying in tandem in said internal groove, each contactor including a pair of opposite bands and a plurality of beams extending between said bands, said beams being bowed radially inwardly so the inside diameter of each of the contactors lying in the groove is less than the inside diameter of said hole outward of said groove;
• said pair of contactors including a first contactor closest to said socket outer end and a second contactor lying on a side of said first contactor which is furthest from said socket outer end;
• a pin having a diameter greater than the inside diameter of said contactors to enter said contactors and deflect said beams to make firm contact therewith, said pin havbing a free length sufficient to pass through said outer end of said socket hole and enter both said first and second contactors and deflect their beams to make firm contact therewith.