Electrical connector receptacle

A connector receptacle which includes removably locked male contact pins, a locking plate and an end plate. The locking plate can either secure the male contact pins in position or allow removal of the male contact pins.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to electrical connector receptacles 
particularly adapted for use in tractor-trailer combinations. 
A conventional receptacle will have male contact pins permanently attached 
to the receptacle end plate. The electrical harness wires are then secured 
to the contact pins. A primary purpose of the present invention is to 
allow the preassembly of the male contact pins to the electrical harness 
before assembling the pins within the receptacle. 
Another purpose is a receptacle assembly which allows the contact pins to 
be removed if they have been inserted in an improper position and 
reinserted in the correct position. 
Another purpose is an assembly of the type described in which broken or 
bent pins are more easily removed and replaced. 
Another purpose is a receptacle assembly of the type described in which 
loose or broken pin-wire connections can easily be repaired. 
A feature of this receptacle assembly is that the male contact pins may be 
secured in the locked position by the locking plate; or the contact pins 
may be unsecured and removed by loosening a locking screw and shifting the 
locking plate to the unlocked position. 
Other purposes will appear in the ensuing specification, drawings and 
claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The electrical connector receptacle assembly is indicated generally at 10 
and is utilized with a conventional connector plug in forming an 
electrical connection between the tractor and the trailer of a 
tractor-trailer truck combination. The particular construction of the 
receptacle assembly lends itself to such application although the 
invention should not be so limited. 
Turning particularly to the receptacle as shown in FIG. 1, a hollow housing 
is indicated at 12 and may be generally cylindrical in form. The left-hand 
end of the housing 12 has an open end 14, closed by a hinged cover 16. 
Cover 16 is biased by coil spring 18 to the closed position. The opposite 
end of housing 12 has an opening 20 closed by end plate 22. 
Extending outwardly from opposite sides of housing 12 are conventional 
mounting flanges 24 for use in mounting the receptacle to a truck. 
End plate 22 fits within open end 20 of the housing 12 and is prevented 
from passing into housing interior 14 by housing shoulder 25. Looking 
particularly at FIG. 1, five small end plate apertures 28 and one large 
end plate aperture 31 are spaced about a centrally located small end plate 
aperture 34. Each small end plate aperture 28 receives a small male 
contact pin 32 and large end plate aperture 31 receives a large male 
contact pin 30. Large male contact pin 30 only allows communication with a 
large female contact pin of a conventional plug (not shown) to insure 
proper electrical alignment. Pin 30 may also serve as a grounding pin. A 
color code may appear about apertures 28, 31, 34 to aid in inserting the 
electrically proper contact pins into end plate 22. 
As best seen in FIG. 1, a hex-shaped counterbore 36 is provided at the 
exterior portion of end plate apertures 28 and 34 to define shoulders 38 
which prevent insertion of contact pins beyond the shoulder. A similar 
shoulder 56 is formed in aperture 31. 
At the interior face of end plate 22 there is recess 40 of the same general 
shape, depth, width, but lightly longer length than locking plate 42 shown 
in FIG. 3. As seen in FIG. 1, there is a clearance hole 48 in the side of 
end plate 22. Hole 48 aligns with clearance holes 50 in receptacle housing 
12 to receive screw 52 which secures housing 12 and end plate 22. Screw 52 
also secures large male contact pin 30 to end plate 22. As seen in FIG. 5, 
a threaded hole 54 opening to the interior face of end plate 22 is 
provided for securing locking plate 42 in place. 
Locking plate 42 is provided with six male contact pin apertures 44, 
arranged in the same pattern as the six small male contact pin locking 
plate apertures 28, 34 in end plate 22. Locking plate 42 is also provided 
with hole 46, slightly larger in diameter than the head of locking plate 
screw 55 as shown in FIG. 5. With locking plate 42 fitted within end plate 
recess 40, locking plate 42 may be secured in the locked position by screw 
55. 
The large and small male contact pins 30, 32 are shown in detail at FIGS. 6 
and 7, respectively. Contact pin 32 has a generally cylindrical front 
portion 84 and an annular locking groove 82 positioned to allow 
communication with locking plate 42. A hex-shaped portion 86 is of a size 
and shape to fit within hex-shaped counterbore 36 of end plate 22. 
Adjacent to portion 86 is rear crimping portion 88, with a bore opening to 
the rear of sufficient size to accept standard electrical wires to form a 
crimping connection with the contact pin 32. 
Large male contact pin 30 is of similar construction except that locking 
slot 62 does not extend around contact pin 30. Also, there is a threaded 
hole 64 in pin 30 which accepts screw 52 as seen in FIG. 1. Screw 52 may 
also be used to fasten a grounding wire to receptacle housing 12. 
In assembly, contact pins 30, 32 may be preassembled to an electrical 
harness by the above-described crimp connection. 
With locking screw 55 backed out of the hole a sufficient distance, locking 
plate 42 may be easily shifted back and forth against the front face of 
end plate 22 within recess 40 by means of a conventional screw driver tip. 
With locking plate 42 in the unlocked position, male contact pins 32 may 
be inserted through end plate apertures 28 and locking plate apertures 44 
up to a point where shoulder 38 prevents further pin insertion. 
Locking plate 42 may now be shifted to the locked position, engaging the 
plate with contact pin grooves 62 and 82. Thus, in the locked position 
withdrawal of male contact pins 30, 32 is prevented by locking plate 42, 
while further insertion is prevented by shoulders 38 and 56. Locking plate 
42 can be secured in the locked position by locking plate screw head 55 
acting against the sides of hole 46. If the male connector pins are 
inadvertently inserted in an improper position, or if the wire connection 
is faulty, locking plate 42 can be shifted or moved to the unlocked 
position and contact pins 30, 32 withdrawn and then properly placed or 
repaired. 
As shown in FIG. 5, locking plate screw 55 need not be completely removed 
from hole 46 to free locking plate 42. This arrangement prevents an 
assembler from losing screws during field repairs or factory assembly. 
After assembly of the contact pins as described, plate 42 is secured in the 
locked position by locking screw 55. The pins, locking plate and end plate 
are then secured to the receptacle housing by screw 52. 
Whereas the preferred form of the invention has been shown and described 
herein, it should be realized that there may be many modifications, 
substitutions and alterations thereto.