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
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/44—Means for preventing access to live contacts
  • H01R13/443—Dummy plugs
• • 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
  • H01R13/5213—Covers
• • 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
  • H01R13/5208—Sealing means between cable and housing, e.g. grommet having at least two cable receiving openings

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a plug and the assembly of such a plug with a rear grid.
• the present invention relates to a plug for an electrical or optical connector.
• an electrical or optical connector classically comprises a housing which defines a plurality of pathways in which electrical or optical wires of cables are assembled. It further has a front portion, adapted to mate with another electrical connector, and a rear portion with a rear grid with apertures through which wires can be received. The rear portion often comprises a seal which guarantees the tight assembly of wires in the electrical or optical connector.
• not all the pathways receive necessarily a wire.
• a plug is used to block a non-occupied aperture. The interaction of the plug with the seal prevents the entry of moisture, dust or other foreign particles from a back side of the connector into an inner portion of a housing of the connector .
• FIG. 1 shows such plugs of the prior art.
• Plugs A according to this prior art are of a cylindrical shape C and have annular shoulders B for retention. These plugs come to be positioned with their shoulders B on either side of lips of a seal positioned at the rear of the connector housing when the plug is introduced into the housing. Moreover, if the plug is not properly positioned, the connector may not be correctly sealed .
• specifications for such electrical or optical connectors require providing still further improvements to plugs in terms of a reliable and stable sealing, life expectancy, miniaturization and low cost manufacturing.
• the present invention has notably for object to provide such an improved solution of the plug for electrical connectors .
• a plug with a front part and a middle part .
• the front part is elongated along a longitudinal axis, with a circular cross-section transverse to the longitudinal axis.
• the middle part is located behind the front part along the longitudinal axis. It has a cylindrical profile defining spikes and concave portions between spikes, in cross-section transverse to the longitudinal axis. It defines a zone with a star-shaped cross-section for holding the plug in a rear passage of a connector housing .
• the invention is related to an electrical connector equipped with at least one plug received in a rear passage of a rear grid.
• FIG. 1 shows a plug according to a prior art embodiment
• FIGS. 2a to 2c are respectively a perspective view, a front view and a sectional view along the line C - C in Figure 2b of a plug according to the present invention
• FIG. 3a is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment comprising an electrical connector, wires, plugs according to the present invention
• FIG. 3b is a detailed view of a front view of the cable according to arrow IIIB of Figure 3a,
• FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the electrical connector according to the present invention.
• FIG. 5 is another partial perspective view of the electrical connector according to the present invention.
• FIG. 7 is a rear view of a rear grid in the electrical connector in Figure 5
• FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the electrical connector along the line VIII-VIII in Figure 7.
• a connector 11 is designed to be coupled with a complementary housing, not shown, and designed to receive electrical wires 5 from the rear of the housing.
• the electrical connector 11 is made at least of three main plastic moulded parts being produced separately:
• front portion 10 also called front grid 10
• rear portion 6 also called rear grid 6, through which the electrical cables, wires or plugs are received .
• a front seal 9 can also be provided on the housing portion 8 to efficiently seal its assembly to a counterpart connector.
• a pathway 13, as shown in Figure 8, is defined as corresponding longitudinal pathways provided in the housing portion 8, the mat-seal 7 and the rear grid 6 along a longitudinal direction.
• Electrical wires 5 are arranged in the connector 11, for example as a single row of seven contacts. Each wire 5 is received in a respective pathway 13, as shown in Figure 8, of the electrical connector 11.
• each wire 5 comprises a terminal portion 22, and a wire portion having a core 23 placed in electrical communication with the terminal portion 22, and an insulating sheath 25 surrounding this core and extending to the rear.
• the housing portion 8 viewed in section in Figure 8, comprises a front part 11a for holding contacts, a recessed middle part lib in which the mat-seal 7 is placed, and the rear grid 6 having apertures 12.
• the rear grid 6 is a separate grid that is inserted into the housing portion 8 on top of the mat-seal 7 and closes the rear of the housing, but it is possible to consider a rear grid 6 that is part of an element of the rear of the housing or of one piece with the housing.
• the mat-seal 7 is made of silicone, an incompressible but deformable material which will press around the wire 5.
• the mat-seal 7 comprises lips 24 which project radially inward.
• the sheath 25, as shown in Figure 3b, is broader than the lips 24 of the mat-seal 7 which will be compressed when the wire 5 is inserted. Interaction of the sheath 25 with the mat-seal 7 might prevent the leaking of moisture and entry of foreign matter from the outside.
• the pathways 13 in the housing portion 8 comprise a lock 15 to cooperate with a complementary lock 16 of the contact to lock the terminal portion 22 in the pathway 13.
• the shape of the aperture 12 at the rear grid 6 corresponds to the shape of the electrical contact and of the sheath 25 so as to allow their access therethrough into the housing portion 8, as shown in more detail in Figure 3a.
• the aperture 12 will have two opposite accurate portions 26a and 26b corresponding to the sheath, a planar portion 26d corresponding to a planar face of the contact, and a face 26c having a recess shaped to receive the lock 15, as shown in Figure Some other pathways 13 will not receive electrical contacts. Since it is not desired to let non-filled pathways 13 open, a plug 1, or sealing plug 1, is used.
• a sealing plug 1 is designed to be inserted into the aperture 12 of the rear grid 6 when the pathway 13 is not filled with any wire 5.
• Such a plug 1 finds application, for example, in the case of a sealed automobile or aircraft connector provided to receive several wires 5, including additional wires 5 depending upon the version of the vehicle or the aircraft .
• the plug 1 is shown in Figure 2a.
• the plug 1 is made of a rigid material, such as a thermoplastic.
• the plug 1 has a front part 2, a middle part 3 and a rear part 4 along a longitudinal direction.
• the middle part 3 is provided with a star-shaped profile for holding the plug 1 in one of the aperture 12 of the rear grid 6 when the plug 1 is introduced into the aperture 12, as shown in Figures 6a and 6b.
• the middle part 3 has, in cross- section transverse to the longitudinal axis, six spikes 17a-17f, as shown in Figure 2b.
• Two neighbour spikes are spaced from one another by a concave portion 123 which can, for example, be provided as two angled flat faces 27.
• the rear part 4 of the plug 1 is broader than the middle part 3, so that a shoulder 14 is provided at the transition between the middle part 3 and the rear part 4.
• FIG. 4 A first example of the use of an embodiment of the plug 1 according to the present invention is shown in Figures 4, 5 and 7 together with the housing portion 8 designed to receive it.
• Plug 1 is inserted through the aperture 12 of the rear grid 6, and has its front part 2 provided within the mat- seal 7.
• the plug 1 is inserted through the rear grid 6 and has its front part 2 provided within the mat-seal 7.
• the front part 2 of the plug 1 is smooth and has a slightly conical shape with an increasing diameter starting from a front zone, part of the front part 2 opposed to the middle part 3, to the middle part 3.
• This front part 2 is inserted between the lips 24 of the mat-seal 7 so as to create a tight barrier with these lips 24.
• the compression of the mat-seal 7 is obtained in this pathway 13.
• a transition 31 from the front part 2 to the middle part 3 is conical, as it can be seen in Figure 2a, so as to ease insertion of the plug 1 in the aperture 12, and has a centering effect.
• the retention of the plug 1 is mainly provided by an inner wall 30 of the pathway 13 in the rear grid 6 cooperating with the outer surface of the middle part 3 of the plug 1.
• the middle zone 3 bears a step. This step is created by the transition 31 from a rear zone of the front part 2 having a diameter j3 ⁇ 4 to a front zone of the middle part 3 having a diameter 0 2 , as shown in Figures 2b and 2c.
• the rear part 4 is generally cylindrical with the diameter 0 2 corresponding to the distance of two opposed spikes 17a, 17d of the star- shaped profile of the middle part 3 of the plug 1.
• This symmetrically star-shaped profile of the middle part 3 of the plug 1 permits to keep the constant compression force as the plug 1 is pushed into the pathway 13.
• One of the advantages of the present solution is to dissociate the means creating the sealing and the means creating the retention of the plug 1.
• the sealing is made on the front part 2 of the plug 1 and the force for insertion and holding the plug 1 is created at the middle part 3 of the plug 1.
• the insertion and holding forces can be optimized.
• This symmetrically star-shaped profile of the plug 1 is particularly suitable even for axially non-symmetrical pathways 13.
• the pathway 13 and the middle part 3 of the plug 1 are each provided so as to have different contour shapes, suitable for creating discontinuous contact zones defined by the spikes 17a - 17f as shown on Figure 6a, between the outer surface of the plug 1 and the inner wall 30 surrounding the pathway 13 in the rear grid 6.
• the aperture 12 bears recessed corners 20 and 21. These corners 20, 21 present an advantage so as to create limited and discontinuous contact zones defined by the spikes 17a-17f with the rear part 4 of the plug 1.
• the spike 17d which is diametrically opposed to the spike 17a of the plug 1 which is in contact with the pathway 13 of the rear grid 6, is free from contact with the inner wall 30 of the pathway 13 created in the rear grid 6.
• Retention by multiple zones assures an effective wedging of the plug 1 in the aperture 12 at a great distance from the front part 2, so as not to create any damaging constraint on this front part 2 or on the lips 24 of the mat-seal 7.
• the invention is not limited to the examples shown, and in particular, the distal cylindrical end of the rear part 4 of the plug 1 may be provided as having a geometry similar to the middle part 3 to be inserted into the aperture 12.
• one advantage of the solution is that another configuration of the assembly of the plug 1 and the aperture 12 is possible.
• two neighbour spikes 17a and 17b rest on the flat portion 26d of the aperture 12.
• a third contact point 17d is provided.
• more than 6 different orientations of the plug 1 are possible for assembly.
• the maximal axial rotation of the plug 1 with respect to the aperture 12 upon assembly is here of 15°.
• the present embodiment has 6 spikes 17a-17f.
• Other embodiments with between 3 and 10 spikes are possible, as shown on Figures 6c to 6f.
• the spikes 17a- 17f will be provided along the periphery of the plug 1.
• the spikes 17a-17f will be sufficiently broad so as to be able to mechanically withstand the retention forces, but sufficiently narrow so that their faces do not interfere with protrusions of the aperture 12.

Landscapes

• Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=47458874

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Citations (1)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 2012
  • 2012-12-04 WO PCT/EP2012/074370 patent/WO2013092202A1/en unknown
  • 2012-12-04 EP EP12808281.5A patent/EP2795734A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (1)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events