EP0700130A2

EP0700130A2 - Electrical connector for electrovalves

Info

Publication number: EP0700130A2
Application number: EP95830367A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Vladimiro Teagno
Original assignee: COGIP Srl
Current assignee: Thomas and Betts SpA
Priority date: 1994-08-31
Filing date: 1995-08-25
Publication date: 1996-03-06
Also published as: IT232522Y1; EP0700130A3; ITTO940175V0; ITTO940175U1

Abstract

An electrical connector suitable for electrical connection to electrovalves for the control of fluids (air, gases, vapours, liquids etc.) having blade-like connection contacts.

The invention consists in providing a connector having elastic, self-cleaning sliding contacts with termination with screw terminal with possibility of soldering or pressure connection by means of insulation displacement of the wire, protected connection of the electronic components assembled on the printed circuit-board, internal arrangement of a luminous device (LED), transmission of the light to the exterior with visibility of the same at any angle, a captive sealing member, an "olive" cable locking seal, a clamp for locking the cable with elastic segments having a high tensile strength, a male exit threading for adapters and ring nut of several types that can be locked without the use of wrenches, connection outlet for circular connectors, snap-on tag for marking and identification of the connector.

Description

The present invention relates to the field of electrical connection of electrovalves for the control of fluids (air, gases, vapours, liquids etc.).
Existing connectors for electrovalves found on the market do not satisfy all the needs of users, often causing working problems during installation that are detrimental to the operation of the connector group as a whole when it is applied.
Several of the connectors found on the market use contacts with various shapes with screw terminals, in which the locking of the conductor takes place by direct compression of the copper strands by the screw which, as it is screwed up, cuts through the strands themselves, causing some of them to break.
Other connectors found on the market use folded contacts engaged with plastic supports which cause pre- loading of the area engaged with the male contact of the electrovalve. This pre- loading is found to be inconstant, due to the effect of the play of tolerances between the contact and the plastic support.
In general the connectors currently found on the market have their contacts housed in a rigid manner in the cavities of plastic supports, so that the self-centring effect necessary for correct alignment with the male contacts of the electrovalve is lacking. With the contacts housed as indicated above an extremely reduced free space is formed between the contacts, with a low heat dissipation in air and a poor ability to provide internal housing of additional electronic components if required.
The impossibility of housing electronic circuits between the contacts means that said circuits must be housed externally, in the area adjacent to the conductor connection, with the risk that they may be damaged during connection by the user.
In particular the connectors currently found on the market, in all those applications in which a light emission. device (LED) is required, show great difficulties in the positioning of conductors and there is an extremely high probability of damaging the LED.
All current connectors use a seal ring in rubber or other material as an additional part to be placed between the connector and the electrovalve at the time of installation, as this seal is a separate component and easily lost it is mostly forgotten by the user, so that the connector is often installed without the seal ring being applied, resulting in the risk of infiltration by liquids during use.
Generally speaking, existing connectors use seal rings and cable clamps that do not ensure perfect tightness of the cable, both against pull and against the infiltration of liquids, and also requiring the use of tools to screw up the ring nut which, as it has to compress the seal ring, requires a considerable amount of effort to tighten it.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a connector for connection of electrovalves which comprises all those characteristics of novelty to satisfy all those application needs that have not been satisfied by current products.
The connector, in its various embodiments with reference to the present invention, comprises a group of parts molded in plastic material with special profiles for connection to each other and to the metal parts of the electric contacts, the seals, the adapters and ring nuts, the printed circuit-board, the luminous device, the light transmitter and the identification tag.
The invention will be further illustrated in the following, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is an exploded view showing all the parts forming the connector.
Figure 2 is a section view of the assembled connector.
Figure 3 is a view from the bottom, from the top, from the side and in section of the external element of the connector.
Figure 4 is a view from the side, from the top and in section of the contact cover and electrical circuit container element.
Figure 5 is a view from the top and in section of the central body.
Figure 6 is a view in perspective and in section of the electrical contact with screw terminal with alternative versions for special applications.
Figure 7 is a view in section and in plan of the central portion of the connector of Fig. 3 having the function of a light transmitter.
Figure 8 is a view from the bottom and from the side of the incorporated seal which cannot be lost.
Figure 9 is a section view of the seal and cable clamp with lock nut.
Figure 10 is a section view of the connector with multi-pol connector outlet with ring nut.
Figure 10b is a view of the connector with co-printed conductor.
Figure 11 is a perspective view of the snap-on identification tag and alternative embodiments thereof.
Figure 12 shows an application of the clamping element of Fig. 9 suitable for clamping a ridged cable sheath.
Figure 13 shows the various alternative adapters and ring nuts that can be applied to the threaded portion of the connector of Fig. 3.
Figure 14 shows typical application of a printed circuit-board assembled component.
As shown in figures 1 and 2 the connector is made up of a number of elements, which will be indicated one by one in the following figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14.
As illustrated in figure 3 the external element 50 has an inclined portion 51 with an aesthetic function and serving to mark the product, which will be clearly visible even when a number of connectors are installed one beside the other, the male threaded portion 52 allows female adapters 91 of different sizes and shapes to be installed, as shown in figure 13, the recess 53 and the housing 54 give the space necessary for insertion of the identification tag 90 illustrated in figure 11, the portion 55 of the portion 52 has a conical profile for connection of the seal 75 of figure 9 to give an air tight seal, the portion 56 at the centre of the connector allows passage of the centre screw 74 and acts as a light transmitter, as this portion is moldedin transparent material and co molded in cycle during molding of the external element 50. The special concave conical profile 57 refracts light transmitted from the bottom through any one of the sectors 58 by means of a lamp (LED) 96 situated inside the contact cover element 59 of figure 4.
As illustrated in figure 4 the contact cover element 59 shows pits 60 having the function of guides for the contacts 92 of figure 6. The side housings 95 allow housing of the conductor fixing screws 68. The bore/bores 61 house the top portion of the lamp (LED) 96 positioned in line with one of the sectors 58 of figure 3, in this way rotation by 90/270 degrees of the contact cover element 59 inserted during assembly inside the external element 50 always allows the lamp (LED 96 to be positioned in axis with a sector 58 for light transmission to the outside through the portion 56 of figure 3 visible from any angle. The contact cover element 59 also has the function of protecting the electronic components mounted on printed circuit-board 89 of figure 14.
As illustrated in figure 5 the central body 93 has a flat portion 62 having the function of intake and guide for the contacts of the electrovalve 63. The portion 64, having the function of a guide for the central screw, has a connection ring 65 for snap-on connection during assembly with the contact cover element 59 of figure 4. The ring 65a is used for snap-on connection with the external element 50.
As illustrated in figure 6 the electrical contact 92 has a portion 66 with the function of coupling with the blade contact of the electrovalve 63 of figure 5. The portion 67 is used for connection of the conductor by means of the screw 68 and the washer 69. The slot 70, in specific applications, when suitably opened, can take on the form 71, allowing introduction of a conductor inserted by pressure, thus giving connection by incision and removal or insulation material. The same slot 71 can be used for connection of the conductor positioned in the slot and spot-welded.
As illustrated in figure 7 the central portion 56 of the connector of figure 3, molded in transparent material, has the function of transmitting light to the outside. The special conical/concave profile 57 can also be conical/convex 57a, faceted 57b or unfaceted. Its position, in the centre with respect to the connector, ensures that the light is visible from all angles, regardless or the fact that the light is transmitted by one or more sectors 58, in fact the sectors 58 may in some applications be replaced by a single cylindrical sector 58a or one of another shape.
As illustrated in figure 8 the seal element 94 in its various embodiments is interposed during assembly between the element 59 and the flat surface 62 of the central body 93 in figure 5. The portion 72 exposed on all four sides forms a bearing surface for the lower edge 73 of the external element 50 so that, with the action of the central screw 74 of figures 1 and 2, the seal is compressed between the surfaces of the connector and the base of the electrovalve 63 to give an hermetic seal to the whole.
As illustrated in figure 9 the seal 75, with the shape of a symmetrical truncated cone, couples with the portion 55 of figure 3 and the profile 77 of the cable clamp element 76 to determine, by tightening of the ring nut 78, a compression seal, both on the connector and on the cable. The clamp element 76, having four or more elastic segments 79, is deformed as the ring nut 78 is tightened, and by clamping down onto the diameter of the conductor it thus gives excellent cable lock even under high pull force. The special conical profile 80 of the ring nut 78 and the elasticity of the elastic segments 79 in the element 76 mean that tightening is easy, to such a point that it can be carried out without the aid of any particular tools, although these can be used, as the ring nut also has a hexagonal portion suitable for this purpose.
As illustrated in figure 10 the threaded portion 52 of figure 3 can be used to apply a male or female connector 82 having two or more poles, held by a ring nut 83 of a variety of sizes, to allow connection of an extension cable with a plug.
As illustrated in figure 10b the threaded portion 52, when the conductor has been connected, can be co molded with the conductor using nylon type plastic material or, alternatively, synthetic rubber, to make the connector fully integral with the conductor and prevent disconnection.
As illustrated in figure 11 the identification tag 90,molded in transparent material, if provided with two arms 84 for connection onto the external element 50 in the recess 53 and housed in the housing 54 of figure 3. The top part 85 is provided with two elliptical recesses 86 to allow insertion of numbers and letters of a commercial type. Alternatively, the flat surface 87 allows numbers and letters to be written using indelible ink, in which case the identification tag may be molded in opaque white material or material of another colour, other embodiments 90a, 90b also being possible, as illustrated in figure 11.
As illustrated in figure 12 the cable clamping element 76 of figure 9 may have its elastic segments 79 provided with teeth 88 to allow it to clamp a corrugated protection sheath, in this case also safeguarding the hermetic seal of the conductor.
As illustrated in figure 13, a variety of adapters, 91, 91a, 91b and ring nuts 78 and 78a that can be applied to the threaded portion 52 of figure 3 enable the conductor to exit at different angles and with different diameters.
As illustrated in figure 14 the electronic circuit is formed on a printed circuit-board 89 which supports not only the electronic components but also the contacts 92 of figure 6.

Claims

Electrical/electronic connector for connection of electrovalves in the original form that allows identification marking on an exposed inclined surface.
Connector according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the conductor outlet in various forms can be made with the use of adapters alone.
Connector according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the hermetic seal on the conductor and resistance to tensile strength are obtained without the need of force and without using tools, by means of the symmetrical ogival seal ring coupled to the elastic clamp element.
Connector according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the light transmitter with special profile is positioned in a central area allowing rotation of the contact guide body by 90 - 270 degrees and keeping the light in view from any angle.
Connector according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the seal ring is incorporated between the elements in such a way that it cannot be lost.
Connector according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that both the electronic circuit and the electrical contacts are positioned in a protected area that cannot be accessed by the user.
Connector according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the highly elastic, self-cleaning electric sliding contacts, with a high dissipation surface, are provided with screw and washer clamp to prevent damage of conductors.
Connector according to claim 1, characterised by the fact that the original profile as created allows a posteriori application of an identification element having a high exposed surface area for various forms of writing.
Connector according to claim 2, characterised by the fact that the outlet of the conductor may be replaced by application of a male or female multi-pole connector with the mere aid of a special ring nut and adapter.
Connector according to claim 3, characterised by the fact that the conductor clamp element may be replaced by a similar clamp element to hold a corrugated sheath, with the mere aid of adapters.