US2736871A - Bayonet connector for distributor terminal - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 28, 1956 M. a. BALES BAYONET CONNECTOR FOR DISTRIBUTOR TERMINAL IN V EN TOR. MAX 0. 54L E5 Filed June 30, 1952 Hi5 AZTOENEYS United States Patent BAYONET CONNECTOR FOR DISTRIBUTOR TERMINAL Max G. Bales, Anderson, Ind., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application June 30, 1952, Serial No. 296,377

4 Claims. (Cl. 339--94) This invention relates to sealed electrical connectors such as may be used with the ignition distributors for an internal combustion engine.

Metallic connectors have been used for high tension electrical systems for internal combustion engines to prevent the emanation of radio frequency current which would otherwise interfere with the reception of signals in a vehicle equipped with radio. A type of electrical cable employed in these installations comprises an insulated conductor enclosed in an impervious flexible sheath of rubber-like material which is enclosed in a covering of woven or braided metallic fabric or armor which protects the sheath against mechanical damage. Waterproofing the connection between cable conductor and a post is likewise desirable so as to protect the connection from deterioration or corrosion due to moisture and gases. Heretofore it has been the practice to attach the armor of a cable to a threaded nut which is connected with a threaded sleeve permanently attached to a cup-shaped metallic shell. When a threaded nut is used to complete the connection a conventional tool must be used such as a wrench, to bring the nut into position so as to provide the seal about the electrical connection, it sometimes happens when too much pressure is applied to the nut or the other sleeve is broken or fractured, due to the fact the nut and sleeve are very thin and light in weight. Consequently the nut assembly or the sleeve assembly has to be scrapped. Thus the use of threaded member is costly and unhandy and therefore objectionable.

An object of the present invention is to facilitate the assembly and disassembly of an armored cable with a distributor wherein a fluid-proof electrical connection is to be formed.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for producing a water proof electrical connection for an electrical device which can be quickly assembled and disassembled without the use of a conventional machine tool.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shielding and a fluid tight connector for an electrical device which may readily be assembled and disassembled without the use of a conventional machine tool.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: Fig. l is a top plan view of a portion of a metallic cover for an ignition apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the connector embodying the present invention but showing the bayonet nut out of clamping relation with a sleeve. v r

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the parts in clamping relation.

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Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the clamping nut and the sleeve.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the grounding washer used in this improved connector.

Referring to the drawings 20 is a cup-shaped housing having its bottom wall 21 provided with a series of openings, each opening is adapted to receive a socket sleeve 22. The sleeve is formed with an outwardly extending flange or collar 23 which engages the outer face of the wall 21. The lower end of each sleeve extends through a respective opening and is riveted over against the inner face of the wall 21 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. A fluidtight seal is established between the sleeve 22 and the wall 21 by any suitable means, such as sealing brazed or solder. The lower end of each sleeve is tapered to receive a socket 24 of body such as a distributor cap 25 which is attached to the bottom wall 21 as disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 179,970, filed August 17, 1950, now Patent No. 2,662,105 dated December 8, 1953. The distributor cap 25 is made of molded plastic and supports a plurality of posts 26 arranged in a circular row which cooperates with a distributor segment 27 attached to a'rotor. The segment receives sparking impulses which jump the gap between the segment 27 at post 26 at the proper time in firing sequence. In Figs. 2 and 3, each post as shown receives a spring 28 hearing against a resistor 29 upon which rests a needle conductor or spreader pin 30 having a collar 31. The collar 31 of the needle is press fitted in a recess provided in the bottom of the socket 24 to hold'the parts 28 and 29 in assembled relation in the bottom of socket 24.

The upper end of the socket 24 has a plane surface upon which is positioned a gasket 35 of proper shape preferably composed of synthetic rubber, such, for example, as neoprene. The cross dimension of the sealing member is substantially the same as the inner cross dimension of the sleeve above the socket 24. A metal or fibre washer 36 and a compression spring 37 is placed over the sealing member 35 as indicated.

A cup-shaped cap or nut 40 here shown is adapted to fit slidably over the sleeve 22 comprising a cylindrical wall 41 and an inwardly projecting flange 42 provided with a central opening 43. This opening receives a sleeve or ferrule 44 having a collar or flange 45 which abuts the inner face of the flange 42. The ferrule is attached to the cap by solder. The ferrule is counterbored to provide a shoulder 46 for an armored cable 48 consisting of a plurality of Wire strands covered by'a sheath 52 of rubber-like material, such as neoprene. The outside of the sheath is covered with any suitable armor 48 for example which is composed of metallic braided strands. The armor is cut off at 50 some distance back of the end of the cable and is placed in the counterbored portion of the ferrule until the end of the armor engages the shoulder 46 then the armor is secured to the ferrule in any'desired manner, for example, by solder, so that the armor and cable cannot be pulled free of the ferrule.

The cap 40 and sleeve 22 are constructed to make bayonet connection with each other and to that end the cap is here shown as provided with a pair of spiral bayonet slots 60 in the cylindrical wall 41 each slot being formed to provide a seat 61. The sleeve 22 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposite pins 62 adapted to pass through the spiral slots and to become seated in the seats 61.

It is to be understood that other locking means may be used between the sleeve 22 and the cap 40 which will require suflicient axial movement to effect the locking action so as to predeterminately load the spring 37 to cause the gasket 35 to be compressed and seal against 3 the cable 52 and the sleeve 22 and end of the'socket 24. For example, the cap could be provided with spring urged members that would register with detents or an annular groove formed in sleeve 22.

V In order to get a good ground connection between the ferrule 40 and the sleeve 22 a metal washer 65 is mounted on the sleeve 22. This washer 65 includes a hub 66 which is integral with resilient fingers 67 which are out of the plane of the hub as shown in Fig. 5. The ends of the fingers have sharp edges which bite into upper surface of the sleeve 22 when the connector parts are assembled in the position in Fig. 3. v

The connector is assembled and operates as follows:

Assuming that the cap with its attached armored cable" and the washer 65, spring 37. washer 36 and sealing member are assembled on the sheath and then the cable 51. is inserted the sleeve 22 as shown in Fig. 2 arid cap 40 is placed over the sleeve 22 with the pins 62 in registry with the open end of the spiral slots 60 in the cap. The opening of the gasket 35 has an internal diameter to receive the sheath of the cable so that the sheath of the cable will slip easily through the opening and yet fit fairly snugly thereon. By manually forcing the cap 40 downwardly the strands 51 are spread apart by the pin 3! When the cap is connected with the sleeve 22 the spring 37 is compressed and the sealing member 35 is placed under compression and thereby expanded in sealing engagernent with the sleeve 22, the socket 24 and sheath 52, when the cap is in the position shown in Fig. 3.

in order to hold the cap 40 in position on sleeve 22 the pins have to engage the full length of the slots and rest in the seats. This creates a locking means. The bias of spring 37 normally holds the cap in position. With the cap 4-0 in the position shown in Fig. 3, the sealing member 35 forms fluid-tight seals with the sheath and the inner cylindrical surface of the sleeve 22 to prevent gases, moisture or other foreign matter from reaching the electrical connection between the spreader pin 31 and the strand wire of the cable.

When the parts of the connector are in the position shown in Fig. 3 and it is desired to remove the cap from the sleeve, the cap must be turned manually against the bias of the spring 37 until the pin enters the slots. For convenience the cap is provided with ribs or a knurled surface for gripping the cap for manual manipulation.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. An electrical connector for use in combination with a terminal socket and an insulated conductor for forming a waterproof electrical connection therebet ween, comprising in combination a cap member and a cooperating terminal socket member for receiving said cap; a bayonet connection between said members for releasably holding the members in assembled relation; a flanged metallic sleeve passing through an aperture in the upper end of said cap member and adapted to sealingly embrace an insulated conductor which is adapted to pass therethrough so as to be connectible to a portion of said socket member; a resilient gasket adapted to surround the conductor adjacent the lower end of said socket member and engage portions of the socket, and spring means adapted to surround said conductor and to bear against said gasket and the flange portion of said sleeve whereby, when said cap and socket members are assembled, said spring is under suflicient compression load to cause said gasket to seal against the conductor and the sleeve to seal against the cap member.

2. In combination with an armored covered flexible conductor and a socket type terminal to which said conductor is to be electrically sealingly connected, of a connector comprising acap portion associated with said conductor and a telescopically engageable socket portion associated with said terminal, a flanged sleeve passing through an aperture in one end of said cap and sealingly surrounding said conductor, said sleeve being held against removal from said cap by its flange, and electrically connected with the armor of said conductor a resilient gasket surrounding the conductor and in spaced relation to said sleeve and being a snug fit within said terminal socket and adapted to be compressed against socket portions of the terminal, spring means concentrically disposed about the conductor and interposed between the flange on said sleeve and said gasket, and cooperating bayonet locking means carried by the cap and the socket for drawing the flange axially toward said gasket for compressing said spring and thereby providing a sealing pressure on said gasket.

3. An electrical connector for use in combination with a distributor or the like wherein a socket in a fluid-tight seal is formed between an electrical conductor and the distributor socket, comprising, a cap member and a cooperating socket member disposed about said distributor for receiving said cap; a bayonet connection between said members for detachably holding the members in assembled relation; a flanged sleeve associated with the cap and adapted to receive a cable of the type having a flexible sheath and a flexible armor outside the sheath, a portion of the flexible sheath extending beyond the armor of the cable to expose the end, said armor being attached to the sleeve'and said sheath passing through the sleeve so as to make an electrical connection with a part exposed in the distributor socket member; a compressible packing member surrounding the sheath adjacent the lower end of the socket member and adapted to engage a portion of the distributor socket and a compressed spring concentrically surrounding the sheath and engaging the packing and the sleeve whereby when the cap and socket members are assembled, said spring applies pressure to the packing means and thereby provide fluid-tight seals between the packing means, the socket, and the exposed portion of the sheath while electrical connections are formed between the armor of the cable and the cooperating socket member of said distributor socket.

4. A device for connecting a cable and terminal socket each having inner and outer concentric means separated by an intermediate concentric member of insulating material and for forming a waterproof electrical connection therebetween, comprising in combination; a cap adapted to embrace the outer conducting means of said terminal socket, cooperating bayonet means on said cap and the outer conducting means of said socket for releasably holding said cap in electrically connected assembled relation with said socket, a sleeve having a flange disposed within said cap and having a portion extending through an aperture therein and electrically connected with the outer conducting member of said cable and embracing the intermediate member of said cable which extends beyond said cap so as to be received in said socket when the cap is assembled therewith, a resilient gasket surrounding the extending portion of said cable, and adapted to be received within the outer conducting means and seat on a rim of the intermediate insulating member of said socket when said socket and cap are assembled, and a spring means disposed between said cap and gasket and surrounding at least a portion of the extending portion of the intermediate member of said cable, said spring means being adapted to be compressed when the bayonet connection between the cap and socket is accomplished tor compressing said gasket against the intermediate member of said socket and for simultaneously sealing the extend ing portion of said cable and the intermediate member and the outer member of said socket to each other while an electrical connection is formed between the inner members of said cable and socket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Abbott Oct. 24, 1939 Violet Nov. 17, 1942 Paquette June 8, 1943 Nims June 8, 1948 Frei Nov. 2, 1948 Morris Oct. 3, 1950 Bychinsky Aug. 12, 1952

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