Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R4/00—Electrically-conductive connections between two or more conductive members in direct contact, i.e. touching one another; Means for effecting or maintaining such contact; Electrically-conductive connections having two or more spaced connecting locations for conductors and using contact members penetrating insulation
  • H01R4/70—Insulation of connections
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
  • H01R13/52—Dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof cases
  • H01R13/5205—Sealing means between cable and housing, e.g. grommet
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/58—Means for relieving strain on wire connection, e.g. cord grip, for avoiding loosening of connections between wires and terminals within a coupling device terminating a cable
  • H01R13/582—Means for relieving strain on wire connection, e.g. cord grip, for avoiding loosening of connections between wires and terminals within a coupling device terminating a cable the cable being clamped between assembled parts of the housing
  • H01R13/5825—Means for relieving strain on wire connection, e.g. cord grip, for avoiding loosening of connections between wires and terminals within a coupling device terminating a cable the cable being clamped between assembled parts of the housing the means comprising additional parts captured between housing parts and cable
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
  • H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
  • H02G15/00—Cable fittings
  • H02G15/08—Cable junctions
  • H02G15/10—Cable junctions protected by boxes, e.g. by distribution, connection or junction boxes
  • H02G15/113—Boxes split longitudinally in main cable direction

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a sealed, protective cover for electrical connectors, particularly covers for use in electrical power distribution systems. It is desirable to protect electrical connectors from dirt, moisture, and other contaminants in order to prevent corrosion and failure of the connector.
• covers have been developed which seal the connector inside a protective cover. Such covers, for example, have been made with clam shell halves having snap-fit type latches for holding the halves together.
• clam shell halves having snap-fit type latches for holding the halves together.
• a good seal at the cable passage or port of the cover and, moreover, an ability of the cable passage or port to accommodate various sizes of electrical cable.
• the structural arrangement of the teeth and the door itself may result in a loosening of the door and loose fit of the cable through the port.
• the ability of the known cover to resist moisture and other contaminants is partly dependent on flanges on the respective halves being snugly joined, but as the flanges are subject to geometrical and material variations due to manufacturing tolerances, the flanges may not maintain a hermetic seal, thereby permitting undesirable foreign matter to enter into the cover housing.
• the flanges are not designed to accommodate a sealing grease.
• the known connector is drawn to indoor telecommunications use, and is not particularly suited for the rigorous demands of the outdoor electrical power distribution environment.
• the present invention offers a solution to all of the above problems by providing a cable connector cover that provides a reliable, tight fit around cables, provides a hermetically sealed cover assembly suitable for use in indoor or outdoor environments, and yet is easy to install and manufacture.
• a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a protective cover assembly having a top cover half and matable body half. Each half includes a cable port or passage for sealingly engaging an electrical cable. Further, the matable halves are shaped to receive an electrical connector therein which electrically connects the cables.
• the cover half of the cover includes deflectable tabs which are snap-latchable to camming lugs on the body half.
• the cable passage in the body half includes an integral platform member for supporting the cable, and a pair of deflectable latch arms having pawls thereon.
• a separate spacer latch component is sized to fit in the body and cable passages when they are joined together. Ratchets are operatively disposed on sides of the spacer latch component for engagement with the pawls in the body cable passage.
• a sealing and dielectric compound in the form of pads is placed on the platforms of the body half, an arch portion of the cover half, and an arch portion of the spacer latch component.
• the spacer latch component is positioned over a cable and is then depressed and ratcheted into a locking position around the cable. At this point, the sealing and dielectric compound is spread around in the cable port or passage thereby sealing around the cable.
• the cover half is then placed over the spacer latch component and the tabs on the cover are fully engaged by the lugs on the body half for snugly and sealingly joining the halves together. Additionally, double-lock members formed on the cover wedge between latch arms on the cover and a portion of the body thereby assisting to hold the latch arms in place.
• Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a protective cover assembly according to the present invention.
• Figure 2 is a plan view of an electrical connector disposed in the lower half of the protective cover of Figure 1.
• Figure 3 is a cross-sectional elevational view showing an electrical cable disposed in the protective cover of Figure 1 when the cover half, spacer latch component, and body half are in an assembled state.
• Figure 4 is a an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an electrical cable disposed in the protective cover of Figure 1 when the cover half, spacer latch component, and body half are in an assembled state.
• Figure 5 is a an enlarged cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention showing an electrical cable disposed in the protective cover when the cover half, spacer latch component, and body half are in an assembled state.
• Figure 6 is a an enlarged cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the present invention showing an electrical cable disposed in the protective cover when the cover half, spacer latch component, and body half are in an assembled state.
• Figure 1 shows an exploded view of the protective cover assembly 10 accordingly to the present invention which includes a cover 20, body 40, and a spacer latch component 60.
• the cover assembly 10 is preferably formed of a suitable plastic or other dielectric material and includes cover flange 21, a cover cable passage 30, and resiliently deflectable tabs 22 for latching to lugs 42 of body 40, as is further described hereinbelow.
• the cable passage 30 is formed in a general box shape, includes a cable arch 38 adapted to fit around cables 12,14, and is adapted to receive the spacer latch component 60 therein.
• the cable arch portion 38 includes a sealing and dielectric pad 59c for sealing around cables 12,14 and cable passage 30.
• the cover 30 has three cover cable passages, two for the run conductor 12 and one for a top conductor 14, the conductors being joined by conventional electrical connector 16 which includes a C-shaped member with a wedge. As best shown in Fig. 4, the cover 30 further includes double-lock members 32 formed thereon for fitting into a tapered groove 56 on body 40, which will be further described below.
• the body 40 includes stop flange 41 having a top surface 41a, latching lugs 42, a channel 44 for receiving sealant grease, a sealant grease 46, and body cavity 48.
• the body 40 further includes a neck portion 40a and a head portion 40b for defining a body cable passage 50.
• the body cable passage 50 has a top surface 51, a platform 52 (best shown in Fig. 3) , resilient latch arms 54 having pawls 55, tapered groove 56, and cable support surface 58. Sealing and dielectric compound pad 59a is placed on the platform 52 in preparation for sealing of the cable passages 30,50.
• Lugs 42 include a ramp surface 42a for resiliently deflecting the tabs 22 of cover 20 when the cover 20 is joined to the body 40, and the lugs 42 further include a flange 42b for locking the tabs 22 in place. Flange 21 of cover 20 will engage stop flange 41 when the halves 20,40 are joined together. Additionally, cover 20 includes a neck portion 20a and a head portion 20b for forming the cover cable passage 30. Referring again to Figure 2, channel 44 is adapted to accommodate the disposition of a conventional sealing grease 46 therein for the purpose of hermetically sealing the protective cover assembly 10 when it is in the fully assembled state, as further described below.
• Body cable passage 50 includes cable platform 52, side walls 50a, and bottom wall 50b. As is best shown in Figure 3, platform 52 supports the conductors 12,14 in cooperation with cable support surface 58 and legs 52a, which legs are connected to bottom wall 50b. On the inside of body cable passage 50 are integrally molded, resilient latching arms 54 having pawls 55 which are operatively arranged for engagement with ratchets 62, as further described below. The resilient latching arms 54 are disposed in tapered grooves 56 for the purpose of providing room for flexibility and protection thereof.
• Cable support surface 58 is generally semi-cylindrical in shape, and has an axial direction which is aligned to lead the cables 12,14 into body cavity 48 across sealing groove 44.
• the lugs 42 are arranged and formed on sidewalls 50a.
• the tapered groove 56, double-lock members 32, and latching arms 54 are also generally arranged in this plane, which provides an advantageous overall cable gripping arrangement as further described below.
• Spacer latch component 60 is generally box-shaped and includes legs 66 having ratchets 62 disposed on lateral sides thereof, a hollow portion 61, and a cable gripping and sealing arch portion 64. Sealing and dielectric compound pad 59b is placed on the sealing arch portion in preparation for sealing of the cable passages 30,50.
• the shape of spacer latch component 60 is adapted to fit within both the cover cable passage 30 and the body cable passage 50 when matable halves 20,40 are fully joined.
• Ratchets 62 are operatively disposed on legs 66 for latching engagement with pawls 55 during assembly of the protective cover assembly 10.
• Double-lock members 32 are formed in a general wedge shape, which shape is complimentary to that of the tapered groove 56.
• the double-lock members 32 are disposed adjacent to the latch arms 54 for maintaining the position of the latch arms 54.
• the latch arms 54 are not completely free to deflect back into tapered grooves 56, and thereby loosen the spacer latch component 60, because double-lock members 32 advantageously stop them from doing so.
• Figure 5 shows a protective cover assembly 10' including cover half 20', body half 40', and spacer latch component 60'.
• Protective cover assembly 10'' includes a cover half 30'', body half 50'', and spacer latch component 60''.
• Resilient latching arms 54'' with pawls 55'' are formed on spacer latch component 60'' adjacent to grooves 56'' and resilient tongue members 68.
• Ratchets 62'' are formed on the body half 50'' for engaging pawls 55'' which thereby hold the spacer latch component 60'' tightly against cables 12,14.
• the resilient tongue members 68 resiliently engage the cables 12,14 for a snug fit therebetween.
• a run conductor 12 is joined to a tap conductor 14, for example, by an electrical connector 16 as shown in Fig.2.
• the operator deposits a liberal amount of grease sealant 46 in the channel 44, put the body 40 on the cables 12,14 and electrical connector 16 as shown in Figure 2, and then push the spacer latch components 60 into their respective places in body cable passages 50, thereby attaching the body 40 to cables 12,14.
• ratchets 62 run the length of legs 66 and thereby provide a better grip for pawls 55, the pawls 55 are not likely to be forced into retraction by slipping off of the ratchets 62 due to external forces acting on the cables 12,14.
• the spacer latch component 60 can accommodate different cable sizes because the interaction of the ratchets 62 and pawls 55 make the cable opening adjustable.
• a further advantage of the present invention is that when the spacer latch component 60 is fully assembled to the body half 40 and cover 20 is installed thereover, the sealing and dielectric compound pads 59a,59b,59c are depressed and the compound is spread around the cable and cable passages 30,50, thereby sealing the same. The cable 12 or 14 is thus snugly and sealingly disposed between cable gripping arch 64, and support surface 58.
• sealant 46 is generally applied to each body passage 50 and then the operator will place cover 20 on body 40 so that the resilient tabs 22 are cammed outwardly as they slide over ramps 42a until the tabs lock against flanges 42, and cover arch portion 38 with sealing and dielectric pad 59c is sealingly disposed against cables 12,14.
• the cover flange 21 is thereby tightly seated against body flange 41. Since sealant grease 46 is disposed along the underside of cover 20, a hermetic sealing gasket is thereby formed around a seam where the cover 20 and body 40 are juxtaposed.
• the spacer latch component can be adapted for use with more or less than three cables per assembly.
• the protective cover assembly can be adapted for use with any shape connector for any electrical or electronic application, e.g. telecommunications, automotive, coax, fiber optics, etc.
• the protective cover assembly can be formed of materials other than plastic, e.g. a laminate or metal coated with insulative material.
• spacer latch component 60 can be modified to include the latch arms 54 and pawls 55, while the passage 50 would be modified to have ratchets 62 formed thereon.

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• Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=4059589

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

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• 1994
  • 1994-09-14 BR BR9403559A patent/BR9403559A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1995
  • 1995-07-20 WO PCT/US1995/009835 patent/WO1996008855A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1995-07-20 EP EP95930109A patent/EP0781461A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1995-07-20 CA CA002199276A patent/CA2199276A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1995-07-20 CN CN95195842A patent/CN1097328C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1995-07-20 AU AU33602/95A patent/AU3360295A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1995-07-20 JP JP8510178A patent/JPH10508418A/ja active Pending

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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