WO2013127581A1 - Electrical connectors and assemblies - Google Patents
Electrical connectors and assemblies Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2013127581A1 WO2013127581A1 PCT/EP2013/051518 EP2013051518W WO2013127581A1 WO 2013127581 A1 WO2013127581 A1 WO 2013127581A1 EP 2013051518 W EP2013051518 W EP 2013051518W WO 2013127581 A1 WO2013127581 A1 WO 2013127581A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- sealing element
- groove
- lateral sides
- electrical connector
- sealing
- Prior art date
Links
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
- H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
- H01R13/52—Dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof cases
- H01R13/5202—Sealing means between parts of housing or between housing part and a wall, e.g. sealing rings
Definitions
- the present invention relates to electrical connectors and assemblies .
- the sealing element if the sealing element is inserted into the housing and then pressed, it does not show unwanted stress behaviour like twisting, shifting or sliding.
- the flat lateral sides of the housing and the retention ribs which are provided on the flat lateral sides, prevent the sealing element from being shifted or even dropped out of the housing in case the housing is not manufactured precisely with respect to actual dimensions of the sealing element. This arrangement reduces manufacturing costs, which are high in case of precise manufacturing.
- the sealing element may be made of silicone
- the sealing element may be provided symmetrical in cross-section transverse to its peripheral direction, and/or
- FIG. 1 is an overall view of a connector according to an embodiment of the invention
- - Fig. 2 is an overall sectional view of a sealing element
- Fig. 3 is a detail (cross-section) view of the groove in the housing
- Fig. 5 is a detail (cross-section) of the sealing element
- Fig. 7 is a detail view of assembly comprising a connector with the sealing element and a complementary device, where the sealing element is to be compressed between the connector and the complementary device.
- the sealing element 12 generally made of an incompressible material (e.g. silicone or rubber), is provided.
- the sealing element 12 takes a form of a closed loop (e.g. a ring or a circular, oval, elliptic or polygonal loop, see Fig. 2 for one possible example), therefore defining a central plane (sectional plane on Fig. 2) .
- the sealing element 12 is rotationally symmetrical with respect to at least one axis X of the central plane, i.e. it may be rotated by 180° with respect to that axis and it remains invariant.
- the sealing element 12 may be further provided with higher degree of symmetry, for example a rotational symmetry with respect to at least another axis Y of the central plane, with for example X and Y orthogonal, or a central symmetry, as provided in the present example, i.e. an invariance under point reflection, implying at least identity after rotation by a given angle, here 180°, about an axis Z normal to the central plane.
- the sealing element 12 may be inserted into the groove 5 either by hand or using a device. In both cases, symmetry helps to put the sealing element 12 in proper orientation as it makes no difference whether the sealing element 12 is rotated by 180° with respect to above described axis or not (i.e. the seal has the same properties in both orientations) .
- the sealing element 12 comprises flat lateral sides 14 (see Fig. 5) and sealing bulges 13 on both top and bottom sides of the sealing element 12.
- both of the sealing bulges 13 i.e. the sealing bulge 13 on the top side of the sealing element 12 and the sealing bulge 12 on the bottom side of the sealing element 12
- the sealing element 12 may have a symmetrical cross-section transverse to its peripheral direction.
- the sealing element 12 possesses the above described features along a whole periphery of the loop.
- the sealing element 12 has flat top and bottom sides, from which polygonal bulges 13 protrude.
- the connector as described above may be used in an assembly with a complementary device 16.
- the flat surface 11 of the housing 1 of the connector is then pressed against corresponding surface of the complementary device (see Fig. 7) .
- This assembly is for example performed using screws bolted through holes 18 provided in the corners of the plate 2, close to but outside the loop. Therefore, the sealing element 12 is compressed between the connector and the complementary device.
- the complementary device may be for example another connector having an electrical interface to be connected with the wires contained in the apertures 4.
Landscapes
- Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
Abstract
The present invention relates to an electrical connector comprising a housing having a groove shaped to accommodate a sealing element, and a sealing element made of incompressible material, the sealing element taking a form of a closed loop defining a central plane and being symmetric with respect to a first axis of the central plane, the sealing element having flat lateral sides and a sealing bulge on both top and bottom parts,the groove having flat lateral sides and a depression on the bottom part, the depression shaped to accommodate the bottom part of the seal, the housing further comprising retention ribs projecting from the flat lateral sides inside the groove and cooperating with the flat lateral sides of the sealing element.
Description
ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS AND ASSEMBLIES .
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and assemblies .
In particular, the present invention is related to a sealing interface between an electrical connector and another device. Some connectors comprise a sealing element made of deformable material and a housing designed to accommodate the sealing element. The sealing element is intended to be carried by the housing and then pressed in order to obtain the sealing properties.
From the prior art, such a connector is well-known in several embodiments with different shapes and sizes of the seal and the housing.
In order to achieve better sealing properties of a common flat seal, it is possible to add a sealing bulge to the side of the sealing element which will be compressed by the complementary device. However, this may cause several problems .
If the seal is not manufactured symmetrical, it might be difficult for an operator to place it in proper orientation and therefore there is a risk of losing the sealing properties in cases where the seal is not assembled along the dedicated orientation. There is therefore a need to provide a seal which can be assembled along many different orientations, and has good sealing properties.
To this aim, an electrical connector is provided, comprising a housing having a groove shaped to accommodate
a sealing element, and a sealing element made of incompressible material. The sealing element takes a form of a closed loop defining a central plane and being symmetric with respect to one axis of the central plane. The sealing element has flat lateral sides and a sealing bulge on both top and bottom parts. The groove has flat lateral sides and a depression on the bottom part, the depression shaped to accommodate the bottom part of the seal. The housing further comprises retention ribs projecting from the flat lateral sides inside the groove and cooperating with the flat lateral sides of the sealing element .
With these features, there is less risk of placing the sealing element in wrong orientation, and therefore there is less risk of losing the sealing properties caused by wrong orientation of the seal.
Moreover, thanks to the depression formed in the groove in the housing for receiving the bulge of the sealing element, if the sealing element is inserted into the housing and then pressed, it does not show unwanted stress behaviour like twisting, shifting or sliding. Moreover, the flat lateral sides of the housing and the retention ribs, which are provided on the flat lateral sides, prevent the sealing element from being shifted or even dropped out of the housing in case the housing is not manufactured precisely with respect to actual dimensions of the sealing element. This arrangement reduces manufacturing costs, which are high in case of precise manufacturing.
It is possible to provide the housing for the sealing element with flat top surface, from which the bulge of the sealing element projects. This may enhance the sealing
properties of the sealing element.
In some embodiments of the present invention, one may also use one or more following features:
- the sealing element may be made of silicone,
- the sealing element may be provided symmetrical with respect to two axes, which are perpendicular,
- the sealing element may be provided symmetrical in cross-section transverse to its peripheral direction, and/or
- the sealing element may be further provided centrally symmetric, with corresponding shape of the groove in the housing.
These additional features make it easier to place the sealing element in proper orientation, therefore further lowering risk of losing the sealing properties caused by wrong orientation of the sealing element.
Moreover, to further enhance the sealing properties, one may further use one or more of the following features:
- the sealing element takes a form of a closed loop, the closed loop may be provided in various shapes, e.g. a ring, a polygon, etc.,
- the sealing bulge may be provided in several shapes, the shape not being limited only to an arcuate surface. The sealing element may have, for instance, a polygonal shape, the depression in the groove then takes the same shape of the bulge to accommodate the bulge,
- the bulge on top and bottom parts of the sealing element may be continuous along the whole periphery of the loop,
- the bulge on top and bottom parts of the sealing
element may have the same cross-sectional shape along the whole periphery of the loop.
In an embodiment of the present invention, there is an injection point provided on an extension from one of the flat lateral sides of the sealing element and the groove in the housing has a recess shaped to receive the extension. There may be also a plurality of injection points, provided symmetrically with respect to one axis of the central plane as defined above. When the one or more injection points are provided on lateral sides and not on any of sealing surfaces, there is no loss of sealing properties of the sealing element in the injection points locations. Any of the embodiments of a connector, e.g. electrical connector, with a sealing element as described above may be used in an assembly comprising any of the above described connectors and a complementary device. The sealing element is then compressed between the connector and the complementary device in order to obtain the best sealing properties .
Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will readily appear from the following description of one of its embodiments, provided as a non-limitative examples, and of the accompanying drawings .
On the drawings :
- Fig. 1 is an overall view of a connector according to an embodiment of the invention,
- Fig. 2 is an overall sectional view of a sealing element,
- Fig. 3 is a detail (cross-section) view of the groove in the housing,
- Fig. 4 is a detail view of the groove in the
housing with the sealing element inserted,
Fig. 5 is a detail (cross-section) of the sealing element,
- Fig. 6 is a detail view of the groove in the housing showing the retention ribs, and
- Fig. 7 is a detail view of assembly comprising a connector with the sealing element and a complementary device, where the sealing element is to be compressed between the connector and the complementary device.
On the different Figures, the same reference signs designate like or similar elements. According to an illustrative example shown in Fig. 1, the connector comprises a plastic housing 1. The housing comprises a body 3, a plate 2 and plurality of apertures 4, protruding from the plate 2, into which the wires (not shown) are to be inserted. The plate 2 has a flat top surface 11. A groove 5 is carved into the flat surface 11, running along the whole periphery of the plate 2 surrounding the apertures 4. The groove 5 is designed to accommodate a sealing element 12 (described below) . To this point, the groove 5 has flat lateral sides 6, from which retention ribs 7 project inside the groove 5, for example, there is a plurality of retention ribs 7 evenly distributed along the whole groove 5 (see Fig. 6 for detail of retention ribs 7, details of function of these features will be given below) . As can be seen from Fig. 3, there is a depression 8 at the bottom part of the groove 5, formed along the whole groove 5. The depression 8 takes essentially the same shape as a bulge 13 formed on a bottom side of the sealing element 12 (described below) . The sealing element 12, generally made of an incompressible
material (e.g. silicone or rubber), is provided. The sealing element 12 takes a form of a closed loop (e.g. a ring or a circular, oval, elliptic or polygonal loop, see Fig. 2 for one possible example), therefore defining a central plane (sectional plane on Fig. 2) . The sealing element 12 is rotationally symmetrical with respect to at least one axis X of the central plane, i.e. it may be rotated by 180° with respect to that axis and it remains invariant. The sealing element 12 may be further provided with higher degree of symmetry, for example a rotational symmetry with respect to at least another axis Y of the central plane, with for example X and Y orthogonal, or a central symmetry, as provided in the present example, i.e. an invariance under point reflection, implying at least identity after rotation by a given angle, here 180°, about an axis Z normal to the central plane.
The sealing element 12 may be inserted into the groove 5 either by hand or using a device. In both cases, symmetry helps to put the sealing element 12 in proper orientation as it makes no difference whether the sealing element 12 is rotated by 180° with respect to above described axis or not (i.e. the seal has the same properties in both orientations) .
The sealing element 12 comprises flat lateral sides 14 (see Fig. 5) and sealing bulges 13 on both top and bottom sides of the sealing element 12. Preferably, both of the sealing bulges 13 (i.e. the sealing bulge 13 on the top side of the sealing element 12 and the sealing bulge 12 on the bottom side of the sealing element 12) take the same shape, e.g. arcuate or polygonal, further, the sealing element 12 may have a symmetrical cross-section transverse to its peripheral direction. Preferably, the sealing element 12 possesses the above described features along a whole
periphery of the loop. In an example of the sealing element 12 given, the sealing element 12 has flat top and bottom sides, from which polygonal bulges 13 protrude. When the sealing element 12 is inserted into the groove 5 (see Fig. 4), the bulge 13 on the bottom side of the sealing element 12 is accommodated in the depression 8, the bulge 13 on the top side of the sealing element 12 projects above the flat surface 11 of the housing 1 and the flat lateral sides 14 cooperate with flat lateral sides 6 of the groove 5 and with the retention ribs 7, which project inside the groove 5, in order to hold the sealing element 12 in proper position. The sealing element 12 may further comprise one or more extensions for injection points 15, projecting from one of the flat lateral sides 14 of the sealing element 12. If there is a plurality of the injection points 15, they are provided symmetrically with respect to said axis of the central plane (see Fig. 2) .
The housing 1 then comprises one or more recesses 9 corresponding to the extensions for the injection points 15. When the sealing element 12 is inserted into the groove 5, the injection points 15 are accommodated in the recesses 9.
The connector as described above may be used in an assembly with a complementary device 16. The flat surface 11 of the housing 1 of the connector is then pressed against corresponding surface of the complementary device (see Fig. 7) . This assembly is for example performed using screws bolted through holes 18 provided in the corners of the plate 2, close to but outside the loop. Therefore, the sealing element 12 is compressed between the connector and
the complementary device. The complementary device may be for example another connector having an electrical interface to be connected with the wires contained in the apertures 4.
Claims
1. An electrical connector, comprising:
a housing (1) having a groove (5) shaped to accommodate a sealing element (12) made of an incompressible material,
the sealing element (12) taking a form of a closed loop defining a central plane and being symmetric with respect to a first axis of the central plane, the sealing element (12) having flat lateral sides (14) and a sealing bulge (13) on both top and bottom parts,
said groove (5) having flat lateral sides (6) and a depression (8) on the bottom part, the depression (8) being shaped to accommodate the bottom part of the sealing element (12), the housing (1) further comprising retention ribs (7) projecting from the flat lateral sides (6) inside the groove (5) and cooperating with the flat lateral sides (14) of the sealing element (12) .
2. An electrical connector as in claim 1, wherein the sealing element (12) is made of silicone.
3. An electrical connector as in claim 1 or 2, wherein the sealing element (12) is a ring.
4. An electrical connector as in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein a shape of the closed loop is polygonal.
5. An electrical connector as in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein a point of injection (15) for the sealing element (12) is provided on an extension from one of the flat lateral sides (14), and wherein the groove (5) has a recess (9) shaped to receive the extension.
6. An electrical connector as in claim 5, wherein the sealing element (12) has a plurality of points of injection (15) provided symmetrically with respect to the first axis.
7. An electrical connector according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sealing element (12) is symmetrical with respect to a second axis of the central plane, said second axis being transverse to the first axis.
8. An electrical connector according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the sealing bulge (13) of the bottom part of the sealing element (12) has an arcuate surface and wherein the bottom part of the groove (5) is arcuate.
9. An electrical connector according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the housing (1) has a flat surface (11) in which the groove (5) is formed, and wherein the sealing bulge (13) on the top part of the sealing element (12) projects above said flat surface (11).
10. An electrical connector according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the sealing bulge (5) on the top and bottom parts of the sealing element (12) is continuous along a whole periphery of the closed loop.
11. An electrical connector according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the sealing bulge (5) on the top and bottom parts of the sealing element (12) has a constant cross- sectional shape along a whole periphery of the closed loop.
12. An electrical connector according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the sealing element (12) has a symmetrical cross-section transverse to its peripheral direction.
13. An electrical connector according to any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the sealing element (12) has flat bottom surface and the sealing bulge (13) of the bottom part of the sealing element (12) has a polygonal shape, wherein the bottom part of the groove (5) is polygonal.
14. An electrical connector according to any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the sealing element (12) is centrally symmetrie.
15. An assembly of electrical connector as in any of claims 1 to 14 and a complementary device, wherein the sealing element (12) is compressed between the electrical connector and the complementary device.
16. An electrical connector, comprising:
- a housing (1) having a groove (5) shaped to accommodate a sealing element (12) made of an incompressible material and having flat lateral sides ( 14 ) ,
- the sealing element (12) taking a form of a closed loop defining a central plane and being symmetric with respect to a first axis of the central plane and a second axis of the central plane, said second axis being transverse to said first axis, - a sealing bulge (13) on both top and bottom parts and a symmetrical cross-section transverse to its peripheral direction,
said groove (5) having flat lateral sides (6) and a depression (8) on the bottom part, the depression (8) being shaped to accommodate the bottom part of the sealing element (12), the housing (1) further comprising retention ribs (7) projecting from the flat lateral sides (6) inside the groove (5) and cooperating with the flat lateral sides (14) of the sealing element (12) .
17. An electrical connector, comprising:
- a housing (1) having a flat surface (11) in which a groove (5) is formed, the groove (5) being shaped to accommodate a sealing element (12) made of an incompressible material,
- the sealing element (12) taking a form of a closed loop defining a central plane and being symmetric with respect to a first axis of the central plane,
- the sealing element (12) having flat lateral sides (14) and a sealing bulge (13) on both top and bottom parts,
- the sealing bulge (13) being continuous along the whole periphery of the closed loop,
- the sealing bulge (13) on the top part of the sealing element (12) projecting above the flat surface (11),
said groove (5) having flat lateral sides (6) and a depression (8) on the bottom part, the depression (8) being shaped to accommodate the bottom part of the sealing element (12), the housing (1) further comprising retention ribs (7) projecting from the flat lateral sides (6) inside the groove (5) and cooperating with the flat lateral sides (14) of the sealing element (12) . electrical connector, comprising:
a housing (1) having a groove (5) shaped to accommodate a sealing element (12) made of incompressible material,
the sealing element (12) taking a form of a closed loop defining a central plane and being symmetric with respect to a first axis of the central plane, the sealing element (12) having flat lateral sides (14), a sealing bulge (13) on both top and bottom parts and one or more points of injection (15) for the sealing element (12) provided on an extension from one of the flat lateral sides (14), said groove (5) having flat lateral sides (6) and a depression (8) on the bottom part (10), the depression shaped to accommodate the bottom part of the sealing element ( 12 ) ,
the housing (1) further comprising retention ribs (7) projecting from the flat lateral sides (6) inside the groove and cooperating with the flat lateral sides of the sealing element (12) and one or more recesses (6) to accommodate the injection points (15) .
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| IB2012000544 | 2012-02-29 | ||
| IBPCT/IB2012/000544 | 2012-02-29 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO2013127581A1 true WO2013127581A1 (en) | 2013-09-06 |
Family
ID=47628151
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2013/051518 WO2013127581A1 (en) | 2012-02-29 | 2013-01-25 | Electrical connectors and assemblies |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| WO (1) | WO2013127581A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN111952768A (en) * | 2019-05-14 | 2020-11-17 | 广濑电机株式会社 | Connector having sealing member provided on contact surface |
Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5464355A (en) * | 1994-01-19 | 1995-11-07 | Rothenberger; Richard E. | Sealed land grid array connector |
| EP1081805A2 (en) * | 1999-08-30 | 2001-03-07 | Harness System Technologies Research, Ltd. | Panel mounting connector |
| US20070184701A1 (en) * | 2006-02-03 | 2007-08-09 | Yazaki Corporation | Structure for attaching gasket |
| US20100261363A1 (en) * | 2009-04-09 | 2010-10-14 | Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. | Connector |
| US20120021631A1 (en) * | 2010-07-22 | 2012-01-26 | Tyco Electronics Corporation | System and method for sealing a connector |
-
2013
- 2013-01-25 WO PCT/EP2013/051518 patent/WO2013127581A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5464355A (en) * | 1994-01-19 | 1995-11-07 | Rothenberger; Richard E. | Sealed land grid array connector |
| EP1081805A2 (en) * | 1999-08-30 | 2001-03-07 | Harness System Technologies Research, Ltd. | Panel mounting connector |
| US20070184701A1 (en) * | 2006-02-03 | 2007-08-09 | Yazaki Corporation | Structure for attaching gasket |
| US20100261363A1 (en) * | 2009-04-09 | 2010-10-14 | Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. | Connector |
| US20120021631A1 (en) * | 2010-07-22 | 2012-01-26 | Tyco Electronics Corporation | System and method for sealing a connector |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN111952768A (en) * | 2019-05-14 | 2020-11-17 | 广濑电机株式会社 | Connector having sealing member provided on contact surface |
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