Patent ID: 8002566

Claim:
A self-locking electrical connector comprising: (a) a first shell body for receiving a first set of contacts; (b) a threaded clamping ring rotatably coaxially supported on the first shell body for holding the first set of contacts in axial engagement with a second set of contacts; (c) a multiplicity of first detent members supportively coaxially located in a fixed angular relation to the clamping ring; (d) a multiplicity of second detent members supportively coaxially located in a fixed angular relation to the first shell body; and (e) biasing means for axially holding the first and second detent members in facing engagement, the biasing means comprising at least one spring washer, an end cap and a retaining ring, the retaining ring being rigidly retained within the clamping ring, the at least one spring washer being disposed between the second detent members and the end cap, the end cap being axially movable by a force applied by the retaining ring between (i) a non-mated position wherein the at least one spring washer applies less than a desired amount of force to the second detent members and (ii) a mated position wherein the at least one spring washer applies a precise amount of desired force to the second detent members, the end cap and the retaining ring being axially movable between the non-mated position and the mated position by axial movement of the clamping ring.