GB2272335A - Connector with bolt retainer - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical connector housing assembly comprises a first housing member 10 having a threaded female mechanical coupling 21 and a second housing member to be inserted into a cavity of the first housing member including a threaded male mechanical coupling 12 for mating to the female coupling. The first housing member 10 has a retainer 40 for frictionally retaining the threaded male coupling 12 in a portion of the female coupling 21 prior to engaging the threads upon joining the first and second housing members together. The retainer 40 may be in the form of a resilient grommet. <IMAGE>

Description

PRE-LATCH RETAINER FOR FACILITATING THREADED CONNECTIONS This invention relates to means for facilitating threaded connections, and more particularly, to threaded connectors employed in joining electrical connector assemblies.

Electrical connector assemblies have been known to include input and output connections, including male and female contacts arranged in corresponding positions in polymer housing halves. The housing halves are designed to fit snugly into one another in a male-female relationship, so that electrical connection can be made between the contacts. In certain electrical connectors, housing halves are joined together and secured with a threaded screw which compresses the male and female contacts together while simultaneously creating a closure force between the polymer halves.

Since the above-described connectors are often located in relatively inaccessible areas of aircraft, automobiles and industrial equipment, the construction of the connector assembly can be a rather difficult task. Misalignment of the polymer halves can lead to serious damage of the electrical connectors as well as to the soft polymeric structure of the housing.

Alignment screws are often employed to facilitate the matching of the contacts, however, securing a threaded screw in a relatively inaccessible area behind an engine or next to a fire wall often becomes a test of patience.

Assembly line workers in such situations must first locate the screw in the aligned threaded aperture and then apply a screwdriver or wrench, while simultaneously attempting to keep both of the housing halves and the screw in correct alignment.

Accordingly, there is a need for a connector assembly which is relatively easy to assemble, and which helps to maintain the module halves of the assembly in correct mating alignment prior to threading a screw connector.

This invention provides electrical housing assemblies having first and second housing members in which the first housing member includes a threaded female coupling and the second housing member includes a threaded male coupling. In order to secure the threaded male coupling temporarily while a wrench or screwdriver is being applied to the threaded male coupling, the second housing member is equipped with a retainer for frictionally retaining the threaded male coupling in a portion of the female coupling prior to engagement of the threads.

Accordingly, the retainer of this invention prevents the threaded male coupling, such as a screw or bolt, from falling out of place or causing a misalignment of the housing members, while an assembly line worker obtains the proper tool and applies it to the threaded male coupling.

In more preferred embodiments of this invention, the connector assembly includes a header connector having a threaded male coupling and a male wire harness connector sized to fit within the header connector.

This assembly includes a threaded bolt disposed through the wire harness connector which is sized to match the threads of the female coupling. The retainer of this embodiment is located in the header connector and includes a soft material for frictionally retaining the bolt and a portion of the female coupling prior to turning the bolt to engage the threads therein.

Such assemblies are ideally suited for electronic connector systems typically employed in electronic engine control modules of automobiles.

The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of this invention according to the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which: Fig. 1: is a front perspective view of a preferred header housing of this invention; Fig. 2: is a cross-sectional view, taken through line 2-2 of Fig. 1, illustrating a preferred threaded insert; Figs. 3-5: illustrate preferred alternative retainers of this invention; Fig. 6: illustrates a cross-sectional view of a preferred header housing of this invention, including the retainer of Fig. 5; Fig. 7: is a perspective view of a preferred plug housing of this invention; and Fig. 8: illustrates a cross-sectional, exploded view of a preferred header housing and plug housing prior to engagement of the threaded bolt.

Frictional retainers are provided by this invention for holding threaded male members in close proximity to, or with the entrance of, threaded female couplings. The retainers of this invention can be employed with all types of screw and bolt connectors included with mechanical and electrical housings which require alignment during mating. Such applications may include automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing equipment in which the assembly or use of the equipment requires a worker to join the module halves in a confined or inconvenient position. Accordingly, this invention is not limited to electrical connector systems, although the following description presents the current preferred embodiment thereof.

With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a preferred electrical housing assembly of this invention having a first housing member including a threaded female coupling, and a second housing member including a threaded male coupling for mating to the female coupling. The first housing member includes a retainer for frictionally retaining the threaded male coupling in a portion of the female coupling, for example, at its entrance, prior to engaging the threads. The preferred first housing member ideally comprises a header housing 10 made of a strong, resilient material. Preferred materials include polymers, such as thermosetting and thermoplastic polymers. One preferred composition includes a 7 wt.% glass- reinforced epoxy referred to as CRX) VALOXL408 (7% glass) or VALOX NBVO54.These materials meet both the operating temperature and insert retention requirements for many automotive applications. It is also preferred that the second housing member, which can be a plug housing 50 of the type shown in Fig. 7, be made of a same or similar material having an approximately equal coefficient of thermal expansion.

The preferred header housing 10 can include a pintail locating feature, preferably containing a polymer, such as MY w , of about .02" thick. The header housing also can include an internal cavity 22, preferably sized to match and receive plug housing 50.

As shown in Fig. 2, the header housing 10 further includes a female threaded coupling, such as brass threaded insert 21. Although brass is described, most metals and polymers would be suitable for insert 21, so long as the threads 20 are compatible with the mating threads 28 of the threaded bolt 12.

In an important aspect of the header housing 10 of this embodiment, a retainer 14 is provided at the mouth of the threaded insert 21. In a preferred construction of the retainer 14, round projections 24 of about 3-12 in number are disposed circumferentially around the mouth of the female thread inner diameter 25. Assuming a .25" threaded bolt is employed, the tips of the round projections 24 should define a diameter of approximately about .2-.3 inches, more preferably about .24-.27 inches. Similar tolerances would be desirable for different sized bolts or screws.

The retainer 14 is desirably made of a softer material than the threaded bolt 12. For example, if the threaded bolt 12 were made of brass, an epoxy retainer would be suitable.

Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 4, the retainer 30 can comprise angular or pointed projections 34. These projections preferably define a diameter similar to that defined by the round projections 24. In still a further embodiment, the retainer 40, shown in Fig. 5, a circular opening 29 having a diameter slightly larger than the female thread inner diameter 25 can be provided. This retainer 40 is designed to provide, in combination with the force of gravity, a frictional fit for the end of the threaded bolt 12, as substantially shown in Fig. 6.

In other words, projections, such as round projections 24 and angular projections 34, need not be about the same size as the bolt, so long as the clearance between the threads 28 on threaded bolt 12 permits the end of the bolt to be snugly retained in the opening 29 when the force of gravity causes the bolt to drop slightly downward out of perfect alignment.

As can be further deduced from examining Fig. 6, the preferred retainers of this invention frictionally retain the bolt 12 in place, prior to engagement of the threads 28 of the bolt with the threads 20 of the threaded insert 21. In this way, an assembly line worker, for example, may align the housing components, proceed to retrieve an assembly tool, such as a screwdriver or a wrench and then apply a turning force to the bolt while it remains in place in the retainer.

This invention is thought to be extremely valuable in minimizing labor costs associated with lost or missing bolts and misaligned housing components.

As shown in Fig. 7, a preferred second housing member is illustrated. This housing member includes a plug housing 50 made of one of the recommended materials described for the header housing 10. The preferred plug housing 50 includes a plurality of connector cavities 52 distributed therethrough. As shown in Fig. 8, socket contacts 62 are disposed in these connector cavities for engaging corresponding pin contact 61 located within the preferred header housing 10.

The preferred plug housing 50 also contains mating clips 54 for final assembly with the header housing 10.

Accordingly, the header housing 10 can have corresponding clips, (not illustrated) for facilitating this joining operation. The plug housing 50 also ideally contains a bolt retainer 56, which is shown as a tubular portion of the plug housing extending rearwardly from the back of the plug housing 50. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the threaded bolt 12 is a jack screw sized to fit within the bolt retainer 56 and sealed along the rear-most opening of the tubular portion with a polymeric O-Ring, preferably containing 40 durometer Nitrile.

Again referring to Fig. 8, the full preferred electrical housing assembly of this invention will be described. As the plug housing 50 is inserted into the cavity 22 of the header housing 10, the threads 28 of the threaded bolt 12 engage with the retainer to hold the threaded bolt 12 in place. Simultaneously, the socket contacts 62 engage corresponding pin contacts 61 to provide electrical continuity through the connector housing assembly. The preferred socket contact 62 contains a contact body and socket sleeve, but may comprise a single component. The socket contact is disposed with a deflecting beam 63 for permitting flexible alignment with a minimum amount of deformation during insertion. The header housing 10 may also comprise one or more wire seals 64 for minimizing the entrance of moisture through the back of the header housing 10.

From the foregoing, it can be realized that this invention provides retainers for securing electrical housing assemblies in correct alignment without the usual inconvenience of loose or missing threaded connectors during assembly. Although various embodiments have been illustrated, this was for the purpose of describing, but not limiting this invention.

Various modifications, for example, use of the retainers for other types of electronic and mechanical applications, will be apparent to one skilled in the art, and are within the scope of the invention described in the attached claims.

Claims (9)

CLaIMS

1. An electrical connector assembly, comprising: a first connector having a large cavity and a threaded female coupling located therein; a second connector sized to substantially fit within said large cavity; and a threaded bolt disposed through said second connector which is sized to mate with the threads of said female coupling, said first connector comprising a retainer for frictionally retaining said bolt in a portion of said female coupling prior to turning said bolt to engage the threads of said female coupling.

2. The connector assembly of claim 1, wherein said bolt comprises metal threads and said retainer comprises a polymeric material.

3. The connector assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein said threaded female coupling comprises a metallic cylinder having a circular opening therein.

4. The connector assembly of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said retainer is disposed at a circular opening of said first connector and comprises a first lip portion extending within an area defined by said circular opening.

5. The connector assembly of claim 4, wherein said retainer comprises a plurality of lip portions extending within an area defined by said circular opening.

6. The connector assembly of claim 4 or 5, wherein said circular opening comprises a diameter about equivalent to an inner thread diameter of said threaded female coupling.

7. The connector assembly of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said retainer comprises a polymeric lip portion disposed at a first opening location of said threaded female coupling.

8. The connector assembly of claim 7, wherein said lip portion comprises a first dimension sized to frictionally retain said threaded male coupling.

9. An electrical connector assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.