Latch mechanism for electrical connector

An electrical connector housing of the type having a spring biased housing cover for closing the electrical connector receptacle is provided with a lever actuated latch for holding the cover in an open position against the spring force.

FILED OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to housings for electrical connectors and more particularly to connector housings having a spring biased closure cover provided with a hold-open latch.

PRIOR ART

Electrical connectors, principally large multi-pin and socket connectors, for example of the type utilized for interconnection cabling between railroad equipment such as connections between engines and cars or between cars, include receptacle housing structures attached to an interior surface of the engine or car which have portions surrounding and protecting the connector member (i.e. plug or socket). Such housings normally are provided with environmental covers to close the housing's opening and protect the connector member positioned interior thereof when the cable connector is not in use with a mating cable carried connector. Such covers may be spring biased to a closed position so that upon removal of the cable connector member the cover closes the housing providing environmental protection to the connector member positioned within the housing.

Because the interconnection cables are bulky and heavy, it is often difficult to establish a seated connection at the receptacle and it generally requires both hands and considerable force to make or unmake a secure connection. The spring biasing of the cover makes this difficult since the operator must maintain the cover in the open position in order to insert the connector member into the housing to engage the mating member within the housing.

This difficulty would be relieved if there was a mechanism for holding the cover in an opened position against the spring closure force which mechanism could be easily activated and deactivated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention may incorporate a standard receptacle housing consisting generally of a backing member for attachment to a surface, such as an end wall of a railroad car, with a generally cylindrical or cylindrical recess extension which surrounds and extends outwardly defining a recess or chamber open to an interior electrical connector. In this regard the term connector or connector member can define either a male, female or compound connector component which would be received inwardly of the housing extension and connectable with a mating external connector component (i.e. a cable end). As is normal, a receptacle cover may be carried by the extension, or by the backing member, and is hingeably moveable between an open position giving direct access to the interior of the recess and a closed position closing the recess. A spring urges the cover to the closed position.

To maintain the cover in a open position a latch assembly is provided. A latch pin projects from a portion of the cover spaced from its pivot point and a spring biased latch hook is carried by the housing and is engageable with the pin when the cover is in the open position. Preferably the latch hook member has an actuating lever affixed thereto to move the latch from a pin engaged holding position to a pin disengaged position. In an embodiment of the invention the engagement of the latch can be automatic upon the opening of the cover.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a hold-open latch mechanism for the cover of a electrical connection housing.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide an electrical connector housing protectively surrounding a connector member and extending beyond to define a socket or recess housing and open end face, the housing provided with a spring biased closure cover for closing the socket opening through the housing, the housing being further provided with a latch effective to hold the cover in an open position, the latch having a portion being mounted to the housing and provided with an actuating lever to move the latch between a latched and unlatched position.

In an embodiment of the invention, an electrical connector housing member is provided which has a recess area defining an opening through which a connector component is accessible. The housing hingably carries a recess closure cover which is spring biased to close the recess thereby preventing access to the connector component. A first latch member is carried by the closure cover and is moveable to a latching position upon movement of the closure cover to a recess open position of the closure cover. A complimentary second latch member is carried by the housing and is effective to engage the first latch member when the closure cover is in the opened position. The second latch member is moveable between engaged and disengaged positions. In the engaged position it will engage and hold the first latch member carried by the closure cover while in the disengaged position it will release any engagement with the first latch member freeing the closure cover. One of the latch members is spring biased to the engaged position and can be automatically engaged with the other latch member by opening the cover to the engaged position.

Other features and objects of the invention will be apparent from the description of the following preferred embodiment, although it will be understood by persons skilled in the art that the invention can be practiced in different forms utilizing different or modified components and that the following represents only one way in which this invention may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1illustrates a protective electrical component housing id include a mounting plate11having a projecting housing member12which, as shown atFIG. 4, may be substantially cylindrical and hollow, defining an opening13to an interior compartment or recess14which is in turn open through the mounting plate11. An electrical component, such as a plug or socket assembly, may be mounted within the housing and be accessible through the opening13and the interior14. The housing10may include a cover15adapted to close the opening13and thereby provide environmental protection to the interior14and to the electrical component associated therewith.

Such covered housings are commonly employed where electrical outlets are otherwise exposed to the environment and are at times not connected to associated components. One particular example is in the railroad industry where connections between engines or between engines and rolling stock or between rolling stock are frequently made and broken as the train is made up and remade. A typical mating connector is shown, for example in my co-pending application Ser. No. 70/376,200.

In a standard type of housing cover, support blocks17extend from the housing member12and provide spaced-apart mountings for pivotal connections18to brackets19affixed to the cover15. The pivotal connections may be individual pivot pins connecting individual blocks17to individual brackets18or may consist of a through pin20extending from one block to the other through both brackets. In that instance the through pin20can provide a support for a spring22which urges the cover to a closed position. Normally the underside of the cover will be provided with a seal member engaging the rim24of the cylindrical housing member12at the open axial end thereof.

Thus far the housing described is conventional and is merely an example of a standard variety of electrical component housings. It will be appreciated that many different designs for such housings are employed and the size, shape and construction features may be widely varied.

Common to such housings is that the cover is biased to a closed position, either by the weight of the cover itself or by an added spring such as the spring22. Often times closing latches are provided to hold the cover in a closed position since it is desired to utilize the cover to protect the electrical component from the environment. The component whether it be a plug or socket is generally protected during use by reason of complimentary cord ended configurations which sealingly engage with the housing member12when the electrical components are connected together. Card ends may be provided with resilient surfaces designed to seal against the housing recess wall and/or the open end face wall. Sealing engagement, as well as the desire to have the pin and socket connections properly frictionally engaged, makes it difficult to either connect or disconnect such systems. This is particularly true when very large multi-conductor cord sets are used. Thus the connection and disconnection is often a two-handed task. The presence of a closure biased cover complicates the performance of that task.

This invention provides a cover hold-open latch member30which is engageable with a projecting member31affixed to the cover15, at a point spaced from the pivot18. As shown, the projecting member31may be a pin affixed to and projecting from the side of one of the brackets19. The hold-open latch member30may then be formed as a hook-like member having a curved end section33which can be slipped over the pin31. Preferably the latch member30is moveably mounted to the housing and is positioned such that opening of the cover will cause the projecting member31to self-engage with the latch30. In the structure illustrated, movement of the cover from the position shown inFIG. 3from the position shown inFIG. 4will cause the pin31to engage the curved end section33of the latch member30at a point adjacent its end. Further movement of the cover will then tilt the latch member30backwardly and upwardly along a curved movement path to open the interior of the curved section33to the pin31. As the pin then snaps into place in the curved section, the latching of the cover will be completed and the cover will be held open, as shown inFIG. 1.

The curved section33is formed at the end of a straight section35which rests atop a top surface36of bracket19. The straight section35may have one or more slots37therethrough which may receive a pin38and a shoulder screw39which carries a coil spring40. The coil spring is trapped between the shoulder on the head of the shoulder screw and the top of the straight section35. The shoulder screw is screwed into a threaded bore in the bracket19. This structure allows the hold-open latch member30to move in its upward and backward opening movement against the urging of the spring40. The pin38acts to stop lateral twisting of the open latch member30.

A handle50may be attached to the latch in such a fashion that movement of the handle50, for example to the left inFIG. 1will move the latch member30to its unlatched open position freeing the projecting member31from the curved section33and allowing the cover to close.

It would be appreciated that the relative positions of the projecting latch member31, the hold-open latch member30, and the handle50may be modified as desired. For example, the projecting member31could be positioned to hold the cover in a more or less elevated position than illustrated. The latch could be more centrally located and could be mounted to the mounting plate. The handle could be formed inwardly with the latch, be welded to it or be removeably attached.

These and other modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art although it will be appreciated that the illustrated and described preferred embodiment shows a self latching hold-open mechanism for electrical component housings provided with closure covers.