Abstract:
An electrical connector which facilitates electrical interconnection of adjacent lighting fixtures and includes a female connector half and male connector half, each having first and second horizontally disposed passageways formed therein. The male connector half further has a male ground pin positioned to mate with a female ground slot formed in the female connector half. A female insert is positioned in each of the passageways of the female connector half and has an interior shaped and dimensioned to receive and retain a male electrical connector pin while a male insert is positioned in each passageway of the male connector half and has an interior shaped and dimensioned to receive and retain a female electrical connector pin. The connector and ground pins are so positioned that a ground connection is established prior to the establishment of electrical continuity between the connector pins when the male connector half is “plugged into” the female connector half.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field 
         [0002]    The subject disclosure relates to electrical connectors and more specifically to an armored electrical connector for establishing electrical conductivity between adjacent electric lighting fixtures. 
         [0003]    2. Related Art 
         [0004]    Modular electric lighting fixtures which are interconnectable together are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/130,882 files May 30, 2008. In such fixtures, there is a need to conduct electrical power between adjacent fixtures. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    The following is a summary description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention. It is provided as a preface to assist those skilled in the art to more rapidly assimilate the detailed design discussion which ensues and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the claims which are appended hereto in order to particularly point out the invention. 
         [0006]    An electrical connector which facilitates electrical interconnection of adjacent lighting fixtures according to an illustrative embodiment comprises a female connector half having first and second horizontally disposed passageways formed therein; and a male connector half having first and second horizontally disposed passageways formed therein. The first and second passageways of the female connector half are aligned with a respective one of the first and second passageways of the male connector half so as to form first and second continuous passageways through the male and female connector halves when the two halves are mated together. The male connector half further has a male ground pin positioned to mate with a female ground slot formed in the female connector half. 
         [0007]    Further according to an illustrative embodiment, a first female insert is positioned in each of the passageways of the female connector half, each first female insert having an interior shaped and dimensioned to receive and retain a male electrical connector pin. A first male insert is positioned in each passageway of the male connector half and has an interior shaped and dimensioned to receive and retain a female electrical connector pin. Each male insert also has cylindrical projection which inserts into and mates with a respective female insert when the first male connector half mates with the female connector half. The male and female connector pins are so positioned in their respective inserts that they interconnect to establish electrical continuity when the male connector half mates with or is “plugged into” the female connector half. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating an electrical connector according to an illustrative embodiment fixed in position in a base of an electrical lighting fixture; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view of a second light fixture base taken at  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a front perspective view illustrating the female and male halves of the connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a rear perspective view illustrating the female and male halves of the connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a female insert component; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a male insert component; 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  is a partial cross-sectional view of the assembled connector; and 
           [0015]      FIGS. 8 and 9  are respective front and rear perspective views illustrating the male and female connector halves with the male and female inserts installed therein. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    An armored electrical connector  11  according to an illustrative embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 1-9 . The connector  11  includes a male connector half  13  and a female connector half  15 . In one illustrative embodiment, each connector half  13 ,  15  is preferably a unitary, single piece component fabricated of zinc or aluminum although other materials may be used. 
         [0017]    The male connector half  13  has a receptacle  18  ( FIG. 3 ) of semicircular contour positioned at its front end, which receives a first end  20  of an electrical conduit  23 . The first end  20  of the conduit  23  is held in place in the receptacle  18  by a cover or conduit clamp  31 , which is attached by a screw  33  threadably attached through a hole  36  in an extended front portion  34  of the male connector half  13 . Tightening down the screw  33  clamps the conduit  23  in position in the male connector half  13 . In such position, the cover  31  shields the electrical leads, e.g.  201 ,  203  shown in  FIG. 8 , which pass out of the conduit  23  and into two respective passageways  43 ,  45  ( FIG. 3 ) in the male connector half  13 . In one embodiment, the circular opening in each of these passageways  43 ,  45  has the same diameter. 
         [0018]    In the illustrative embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the second end  22  of the electrical conduit  23  passes through an opening  24  in a first end  25  of a second lighting fixture base  27  and is clamped in place within the base  27  by a rectangular bar  28  which is attached by screws  29  to a clamp base  30 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . Thus, electrical wires or leads attached to componentry within the first base  27  may pass through the conduit  23  and be joined to contact pins located within the male connector half  13 , as described in more detail hereafter. 
         [0019]    In one embodiment, the lighting fixture base units  17 ,  27  may be base units of modular lighting fixtures such as those disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/130,882 incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. 
         [0020]    As shown in  FIGS. 3-4 , in an illustrative embodiment, the passageways  43 ,  45  of the connector half  13  are disposed above the semi-circularly curved entry way  18 , which receives and positions the end  20  of the electrical conduit  23 . The shaft of a thumbscrew  53  ( FIG. 1 ) passes through an opening  50  in a cylindrical boss  51  on the male connector half  13  and threads into a boss  79  in the female connector half  15  to thereby attach the female connector half  15  to the male connector half  13  and secure electrical connection between them. 
         [0021]    A rim  57  is formed around the periphery of the front end of the male connector half body  41 . The inner face of the cover  31  abuts the front face  58  of this rim  57  to define an interior space, which, as noted above, accommodates fanning out of electrical leads into the two horizontally disposed passageways  43 ,  45 . A horizontally extending ground pin  47  is formed at the rear of the body  41  of the male insert  13 . The pin  47  is generally cylindrical and has a slot  48  formed in its far end. The slot  48  allows for some compression of the pin  47  to accommodate manufacturing tolerances. 
         [0022]    In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the female connector half  15  is fixed in one end of a base member  17  of an electric lighting fixture  17  and has a generally rectangular face  86 , which is preferably shaped and dimensioned to fill and close the opening in the end  19  of the base member  17 . The female connector half  15  is preferably formed as a single piece having a central body portion  81  in which are formed respective horizontally disposed passageways  83 ,  85  whose circular openings may each be of the same diameter. A cylindrical female opening or through hole  87  is also formed in the body  81  to receive and make electrical contact with the ground pin  47  of the male connector half  13 . 
         [0023]    A screw  88  threads through an opening  90  ( FIG. 3 ) behind the face plate  86  to attach the female connector half  15  to the light fixture base  17 . The female connector half body  81  further has a rear flange or rim  89  formed thereon and a semi circular exit way  91 . A second cover  80 , which may be identical in shape to cover  31 , is attached to the female connector half  15  by a screw  84 , which threads into a rear portion  82  of the female connector half  15 . The second cover  80  abuts the front face  92  of the rear flange  89 , and covers the exit way  91 , thereby providing a shielded, enclosed space to accommodate and shield electrical leads, e.g.  205 ,  207  ( FIG. 9 ) which exit the female connector half  15 . 
         [0024]    According to one illustrative embodiment, an insulative male insert  61  as shown in  FIG. 5  is dimensioned to fit into each of the passageways  43 ,  45  formed in the body  41  of the male connector half  13 . This male insert  61  has a central cylindrical flange  101  formed on its outer surface. A tapered front flange  107  is additionally formed at the front end  108  of the male insert  61 . A central cylindrical surface  102  of lesser diameter than the central flange  101  or the rear edge  106  of the tapered flange is positioned between those two flanges  101 ,  107 . The rear end  109  of the male insert  61  comprises a tube having a cylindrical outer surface. 
         [0025]    Similarly, an insulative female insert  71  as shown in  FIG. 6  is dimensioned to fit into each of the passageways  83 ,  85  in the female connector half  15 . The female insert  71  has a central cylindrical flange  122  and a tapered rear flange  111 , which tapers down from a vertical edge  113  to the outermost end  114  of the female insert  71 . Additionally, the female insert  71  has a cylindrical flange  121  at its opposite end  115  and a cylindrical surface  120  of lesser diameter than the outer diameter of the flanges  121 ,  122  positioned between those two flanges  111 ,  122 . A second cylindrical surface  123  is positioned between the rear flange  111  and the central flange  122  and is of lesser diameter than the central flange  122  and the rear edge  113  of the tapered rear flange  111 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 7  shows a cross-section through passageways  45  and  85  of an assembled connector  11  to further illustrate the structural relationships of the various components of the illustrative embodiment. As shown, each male insert  61  has an interior shaped and dimensioned to receive, position, and retain an electrically conductive female connector pin  93 . Likewise, each female insert  71  has an interior shaped and dimensioned to receive, position, and retain an electrically conductive male connector pin  91 . In the illustrative embodiment, each connector pin  91 ,  93  is retained in position by an inner mounting cylinder  131 ,  133  integrally molded within the interior of the respective inserts  71 ,  61 . In one embodiment, the female and male connector pins  91 ,  93  may be standard AMP 600 volt connector pins and the inserts  61 ,  71  are unitary components molded or otherwise fabricated of nylon or other suitable materials. 
         [0027]    As further shown in  FIG. 7 , the interior of the male connector half passageway  45  comprises three concentric cylindrical segments: a first cylindrical segment S 1  of a first diameter, followed by a second cylindrical segment S 2  of lesser diameter, which opens into a third cylindrical segment S 3  of larger diameter. The central cylindrical flange  101  of the male insert  61  mates with the third cylindrical segment S 3 , the cylindrical surface  102  of the male insert  61  mates with the second cylindrical segment S 2 , while the tapered front flange  107  of the female insert  61  resides in the first cylindrical segment S 1 . 
         [0028]    Similarly, the passageway  85  in the female connector half  15  comprises three concentric cylindrical segments: a first cylindrical segment S 4  of a first diameter, a second cylindrical segment S 5  of a second diameter less than the first diameter, and a third cylindrical segment S 6  of a third diameter greater than the second diameter  55 . The tapered rear flange  111  of the female insert  71  resides in the third cylindrical segment S 6 , the outer cylindrical surface  123  of the female insert  71  mates with the second cylindrical segment S 5 , and the flanges  121 ,  122  of the female insert  71  reside in the first cylindrical segment S 4 . 
         [0029]    In assembly, the female connector pin  93  is pushed into the male insert  61 , such that the wings W 1 , W 2  of the connection pin  93  are compressed as the pin  93  passes through the interior cylinder  133  and then snap into the position shown in  FIG. 7  where the wings W 1 , W 2  lock the connector pin  93  in position within the male insert  61 . Similarly, the interior of the female insert  71  includes an inner lip  132  of circular cross-section, which abuts the wings W 3 , W 4  of the male connector pin  91  after the male connector pin  91  has been inserted from left to right into the female insert  71 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 7  further illustrates electrical leads (power wires)  203 ,  207  attached to the respective male and female connector pins  93 ,  91 . The connector pins  93 ,  91  are positioned by the respective inserts  61 ,  71  to come into the mating relationship shown in  FIG. 7  when the respective male and female connector halves  13 ,  15  are manually or otherwise pushed together. 
         [0031]    In assembling the connector  11 , the male insert  61  is inserted into passageway  45  such that the flanged end  107  enters the third cylindrical segment S 3  of the passageway  45  and thereafter proceeds from left to right into the first cylindrical segment S 1  where the flange  107  snaps into place thereby positioning the tube or cylindrical end  109  of insert  61  to extend outside the male connector half body  41 , as shown, for example, in  FIG. 9 . The female connector pin  93  with power were  203  attached is thereafter inserted into the male insert  61 , as described above. 
         [0032]    Similarly, the female insert  71  is inserted into the passageway  85  such that the tapered end  111  of the insert  71  first enters the fourth cylindrical segment S 4  and thereafter travels leftwardly into the sixth cylindrical segment S 6  where the tapered end  111  snaps into place within that cylindrical segment S 6 . The male connector pin  91  with power wire  207  attached is thereafter inserted into the female insert  71 , as described above. 
         [0033]    As noted above,  FIG. 7  illustrates one pair of passageways  45 ,  85  communicating with one another. In the illustrative embodiment, the other pair of passageways  43 ,  83  may have a cross-section which is identical to that shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0034]      FIGS. 8 and 9  show the connector halves  13 ,  15  with the male and female inserts  61 ,  71  installed therein. As seen, the tubes  109  on the male insert  61  are concentrically aligned on respective central horizontal axes  110  with the female inserts  71  such that the male connector half  13  may be manually or otherwise plugged into the female connector half  15 . In the illustrative embodiment, the length of the ground pin  47  is selected such that, during insertion of the male connector half  13  into the female connector half  15 , a ground connection is established before electrical contact occurs between the contact pins  91 ,  93 . As a result, when the connector halves  13 ,  15  are unplugged from one another, the ground connection is broken before electrical contact between the connector pins  91 ,  93  is broken. 
         [0035]    As noted above, in one embodiment, the connector halves  13 ,  15  may be fabricated of aluminum, while the male and female inserts  71 ,  61  are molded of nylon. Various other metals, composites, and/or plastics could be used to form these parts in various embodiments. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just described embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.