JPS6112621B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly to electrical connectors that include improved means for sealing the connector from moisture and other harmful substances.

For several years now, the transportation, communications, and data processing industries have desired electrical connectors that can withstand harsh environmental conditions and have long service life. The demand for such connectors is particularly great in the aerospace industry where reliability in extreme environments and long-term use is of paramount importance. In response to this need, various connectors have been developed that include means to effectively seal the contacts within the connector shell, but to allow for the removal and installation of individual contacts. One solution to this problem is to seal the rear or conductor-receiving end of the connector element with an insert or grommet made of elastomeric material so that each contact passes through an individual hole in the grommet during insertion and removal. It is to do so. Representative examples of such connectors are U.S. Pat.
No. 3786396 and No. 3960428. These connectors provide adequate sealing in applications where all of the contact pockets of the connector are utilized, but when all available contact pockets are not utilized, these connectors does not properly seal the interior of the For example, moisture can enter the interior of the connector through unused pockets.

To solve this problem, prior art connectors include a miniature plug that is inserted into an unused pocket. However, this solution is expensive to manufacture and assemble and relies on the reliability of the assembler who must insert the plug into every empty pocket. Furthermore, since the plug is a separate element, if the plug is not properly installed, the seal will be ineffective, which will result in failure of the connector.

Another solution to this problem is to apply a coating to the rear exterior of the grommet. Although the coating can be applied before or after assembling the connector to the contact termination conductor, conventional methods apply the coating before assembly. However, this technique is time consuming and labor intensive, resulting in high costs and is not popular with connector users.
Also, the integrity of the seal depends on the proper application of the coating, and as a result the reliability of the connector is not ideal.

The present invention therefore relates to an electrical connector having unique means for sealing the rear end of the connector. This measure overcomes the problems and drawbacks associated with the use of prior art connectors. The sealing mechanism of the present invention is very inexpensive and reliable, eliminates the use of separate sealing elements, and does not require any additional assembly work by the user of the connector.

In broad aspects, the present invention relates to an electrical connector in which an elastomeric insert or grommet includes an integrally molded membrane at its rear end that completely seals each conductor receiving pocket. The membrane is thick enough to ensure and maintain seal integrity during normal functioning of the connector with the pocket empty. However, the membrane is not so thick as to prevent normal and proper insertion of the contact termination conductor into the connector.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained based on the drawings.

A multi-contact, all-around seal electrical connector element is shown in FIG. This connector element is reference number 1
It is indicated by 0. The connector element 10 is adapted to be attached to a support surface or bulkhead and has a front mating end 12 for mating with a complementary connector element (not shown). Connector element 10 will be used here for purposes of explanation.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be used with a variety of connectors and connector elements.

The illustrated electrical connector element 10 includes a housing or shell 14 and a plurality of inserts 15, 1.
6, 17, 18 and 19 and a plurality of permanently placed contacts, such as contact 20. Each contact has front pin 2
2 and a rear pin 24, respectively, the rear pin 24 being adapted to electrically engage a contact such as a socket contact 26, said socket contact terminating an insulated conductor 28. . These are merely illustrative of specific contact structures; other structures will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the contacts terminating the conductors can extend completely into the front end 12 of the receptacle and function as mating contacts that engage complementary connector elements.

Although each of the inserts 15-18 provides a useful function, these inserts are known and do not form part of this invention. Therefore, the structure and function of these inserts will not be explained. The insert 19, on the other hand, is important to the invention and its structure, shape and function will be detailed below.

Insert 19 includes a plurality of longitudinally or axially extending pockets 30. These pockets extend through the insert from the outer end 32 and match pockets in the insert 18. The pockets are configured to receive and support a conductive member, such as a contact termination conductor 28, with each pocket having one or more peripheral risers 34 that engage the conductor 28 to provide a peripheral seal. have.

In accordance with the present invention, insert 19 has an integrally molded membrane 36 near outer conductive member receiving end 32 . This membrane 36 functions to completely seal each pocket from the surrounding environment. This membrane 36 is co-molded with the insert and is thus constructed of the same elastomeric material as the insert 19. The particular material can be chosen from a variety of known natural and synthetic rubbers or elastomers, and can be chosen to have the particular elasticity, stiffness, temperature sensitivity, and chemical resistance required for a particular use.

Membrane 36 must be thick enough to maintain the integrity of the seal to empty pocket 30 during normal function of the connector. On the other hand,
Membrane 36 must not be so thick as to prevent proper attachment of contact termination conductor 28.
For example, if a frangible socket contact, such as contact 26, is to be assembled into a connector, membrane 36 must not be so thick that the required penetration force would bend or damage the contact. The thickness of membrane 36 depends on the particular elastomeric material into which insert 19 is molded and the dimensions of the pocket and conductive member.

As an example, if the membrane is used with an insert molded from silicone rubber and having a pocket diameter of 0.100 inch, the pocket may be properly sealed and
To readily accept a size 20 socket contact, the membrane must have a thickness in the range of about 0.010 to 0.015 inches.

Membrane 36 is molded within the insert in a longitudinal position within pocket 30 slightly recessed from outer end 32 . As is clear from FIG. 4, this shape arrangement forms a plurality of indicating recesses 40 that visually indicate the position of each pocket 30.
The indicator recesses 40 facilitate assembly of the contact termination conductors into the connector since each pocket 30 can be easily located by the assembler. Furthermore, since the membrane is near the outer end 32 of the connector, any damage to the membrane in the pocket 30 is easily detected upon inspection.

If the membrane or portions of the membrane are torn from the insert, these small pieces may prevent proper electrical contact of the contacts within the connector. It is therefore preferred to place membrane 36 at a longitudinal location along pocket 30 where the diameter of the pocket is larger than the diameter of the contacts used in the connector. This relationship is clear from FIG. The contacts act on the membrane at the center of each pocket, rather than at the periphery, so that the membrane remains together with the insert, as clearly shown in FIG. Therefore, the possibility that the contact will tear the membrane from the insert 19 and carry part of the membrane into the connector when inserting the contact is reduced.

Additionally, the membrane can be molded so that it is relatively thin in its center and relatively thick near the periphery of each pocket. This geometry creates a stress point in the membrane at the center of each pocket 30, thus further reducing the possibility of tearing the membrane from the insert.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention provides a significantly simpler and cheaper solution to other vexing problems. The seal provided by membrane 36 is complete and more reliable than conventional sealing techniques. Furthermore, this seal does not require any additional steps when attaching the connector to the electrical cable. If the previously used pocket is no longer needed, or if the use of the membrane has been unsuccessful, an ordinary sealing plug may be inserted into the pocket 30 through the previously torn or punctured membrane. Therefore, an ordinary seal plug can be easily used.

Various modifications and changes to the preferred embodiments described above will, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without diminishing its advantages.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a cross-sectional view of an electrical connector employing the sealing means of the present invention showing an empty insertion pocket and a pocket for receiving and supporting a contact termination conductor, and FIG. 2 shows an elastomeric insert and a membrane. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing the conductive member penetrated through the sealing membrane; FIG. The figure is a perspective view of one form of elastomeric insert prior to assembly within a connector shell, clearly showing the outer surface of the insert. 10... Connector element, 12... Front mating end,
14... Ciel, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
...Insert, 20...Contact, 22...Front pin, 24...Rear pin, 26...Socket contact, 28...Conductor, 30...Pocket, 32
...Outer end, 34...Riser, 36...Membrane, 4
0... Concavity.

Claims (1)

Claims: 1. A molded elastomeric insert having an outer shell and a plurality of longitudinally extending pockets disposed within the shell; at least one electrically conductive member supported by the insert; and a membrane integrally molded with the insert and sealing an outer end of each insert pocket; An electrical connector passed through the membrane by a member, the membrane having a relatively thin central portion and a relatively thick peripheral portion near the pocket wall. 2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the membrane is retracted from an outer end of the insert pocket to form a plurality of indicating recesses on the outer surface of the insert. An electrical connector characterized by: 3. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the membrane seals each insert pocket with a longitudinal portion of the insert pocket having a diameter greater than the diameter of the conductive member. An electrical connector featuring: 4. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive member comprises a contact termination conductor. 5. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein each insert pocket has at least one peripheral riser that engages a conductive member disposed within the pocket. 6. The electrical connector of claim 5, wherein said insert pocket has a plurality of said risers spaced longitudinally within said pocket. 7. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the membrane is sufficient to retain seal integrity under normal functioning conditions when a pocket is empty. an electrical connector having a thickness that is insufficient to prevent proper insertion of a conductive member into the pocket.