IMPROVED HERMETICALLY SEALED CONNECTOR DEVICE

Abstract: The connector device comprises a male plug of stainless steel or the like having a housing containing a number of spaced passageways within wich wire-bearing electrical conduits are hermetically secured. The device also includes a female recep­ tacle of stainless steel or the like having an annular rim defining a central space within which the front end of the male plug is hermetically sealed. The female receptacle has a central pas­ sageway within which a multi-wire electrical conduit is her­ metically secured. A dielectric wire spreader of polytetra­ fluoroethylene or the like is disposed in the central space with a frusto-conical front thereof abutting a dielectric spacer posi­ tioned against the conduit sealed in the female receptacle cen­ tral passageway and with the rear end thereof abutting the front of the male plug. Passageways in the spacer and male plug rear end conduct conduit wires to the spreader where they are disposed in parallel surface grooves and interconnected. The device is simple, inexpensive and efficient.

Description: The present invention generally relates to electrical devices and more particularly to a novel hermetically sealed electrical conduit connector. Conduit connectors for various specialty applications, such as nuclear reactors and high frequency electronic components, frequently are required to afford protection of the conduits against heat, corrosive gases and liquids, moisture and the like. However, such connectors normally are not properly designed to provide such protection over any reasonable length of time. Those connectors which employ male and female components also are frequently difficult to properly align and to attach to the conduit ends so that much time is wasted in installing, replacing and repairing such connectors. In many applications repeated movement of the connectors, for example when used in vibrating vehicles and the like, results in loosening of the connector components, thereby permitting breach of the thermal and corrosion seals and eventually impairing the electrical connection provided by the connector. In many instances, there is a need to join wiring from a plurality of electrical conduits to wiring from a single conduit and hermetically protect the joined wiring. Conventional connectors for such purposes are complicated, expensive and inefficient. FR-A-2533770 discloses a hermetically sealed connector for connecting a plurality of wires from a single conduit to the pins of a connector plug. The connector comprises a heat resistant connector body with a central passageway extending through the length thereof with a sheathed cable having a plurality of spaced leads disposed in one end of the passageway with the leads projecting from the cable in the passageway. A dielectric element in the form of a disc having openings extending therethrough within which the leads are disposed is held in the passageway against the cable. A connector plug is slidably disposed in the other end of the passageway and has a spaced parallel number of hollow pins extending along the length thereof and aligned with the openings of the dielectric element so that the pins will receive the leads where they emerge from the dielectric element. The pins are crimped round the leads to achieve electric connection. The whole assembly is held together with locking nuts and swaging cones. There is therefore currently a need for a simple, relatively inexpensive, highly efficient electrical conduit connector which hermetically seals multiple conduit ends and connector components against corrosion, heat and other adverse conditions and which provides a margin of safety against loosening of the components thereof by vibration during use. Such a connector should be easily welded or otherwise installed on stainless steel jacketed coaxial cables and the like. It should be adaptable for use in nuclear reactors and in high frequency microwave applications. The improved weatherproof hermetically sealed multiple conduit-to-single conduit connector device of the present invention satisfies all of the foregoing needs. The connector comprises a male plug comprising a housing having a plurality of spaced conduit-receiving passageways and a female reptacle having a central passageway for receiving a single conduit carrying a plurality of wires. The female receptacle has a terminal rim which the front end of the male plug is received and sealed as by welding, brazing or soldering to the female receptacle to define a hermetically sealed central space. A dielectric wire spreader is disposed in front of the male plug in the central space and has a front tapered end bearing spaced wire-receiving grooves. Preferably the front end of the wire spreader abuts a dielectric spacer positioned in the central passageway in the central space. That spacer, when present and the rear end of the wire spreader have wire-receiving passageways for conducting wires from multiple conduits positionable in the male plug and from a single conduit positionable in the female receptacle central passageway to the wire spreader for interconnection in the hermetically sealed central space. The connector device is inexpensive, easy to assemble and use and affords effective protection to the conduit wires against loosening, corrosion and electrical failure. The improved connector device of the invention which will now be described in greater detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings; in which Figure 1 is a schematic side elevation, partly in cross-section and partly broken away, of a preferred embodiment of the improved connector device of the present invention; and, Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section of the device of Fig.1, taken along the section line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Now referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of the improved hermetically sealed multiple conduit-to-single conduit device of the present invention is schematically depicted therein. Thus, device 10 is shown which comprises a male plug 12, a female receptacle 14, a dielectric wire spreader 16 and a dielectric spacer 18. Male plug 12 is preferably generally cylindrical and of corrosion resistant metal, such as stainless steel or the like. It defines a plurality of spaced parallel passageways 20 extending therethrough from the rear end 22 thereof to the front end 24 thereof. As shown in Fig. 2, in this instance plug 12 has five passageways 20 within which conduits 26 are secured. Each conduit 26 may comprise a metallic sheath 28 and a dielectric core 30 bearing, for example, a pair of spaced electrically conductive wires 32. The sheath 28 is stripped from the front portion 34 of each conduit 26 (Fig. 1) and portion 34 is positioned inside passageway 20 while sheath 28 is hermetically sealed, as by silver brazing, or welding or soldering, at points 36 to rear end 22 of plug 12. Sheath 28 and core 30 are removed from the front end of wires 32 to allow them to extend exposed forward from plug 12. Passageways 20 are spaced symmetrically around a common center (Fig. 2). Front end 24 of plug 12 has a stepped down portion 38 received in and abutting an annular rim 40 in the rear end 42 of female receptacle 14. Rim 40 is hermetically sealed, as by welding, soldering or brazing to plug 12 at points 44, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Receptacle 14 preferably is generally cylindrical and of stainless steel or other corrosion resistant metal. Rim 40 defines a rear central space 46 communicating with a central passageway 48 extending longitudinally through receptacle 14 to the front end 50 thereof. Passageway 48 receives a single electrical conduit 52 which may comprise an outer metallic sheath 54 and a dielectric core 56 bearing spaced electrically conductive wires 58 corresponding in number to the total number of wires 32 in all of conduits 26, in this instance ten wires 58. Sheath 54 is hermetically sealed, as by brazing, welding or soldering, to receptacle 14 at points 60 at end 50 (Fig. 1). Conduit 52 is peeled of sheath 54 and core 56 at its rear end 62 to expose wires 58. Preferably, dielectric spacer 18 is of, for example, glass, ceramic or a high temperature plastic such as nylon, polytetrafluoroethylene or the like, and has wire guiding passageways 66 extending longitudinally therethrough. Spacer 18 is disposed in passageway 48 behind conduit 52 and receives wires 58, guiding them into central space 46 and into contact with novel dielectric wire spreader 16. Spreader 16 can be formed of dielectric material similar to that described for spacer 18. The front end 70 of spreader 16 abuts spacer 18, while the rear end 72 of spreader 16 abuts plug 12 (Fig. 1). Preferably, the front portion 74 of spreader 16 is generally frusto-conical, narrowing toward front end 70, and bearing a plurality of spaced grooves 76 in the outer surface thereof, in which wires 58 are disposed to isolate them from each other, to fan them out and to guide them toward wires 32. Wires 32 pass forwardly from conduits 26 and plug 12 through spaced passageways 80 in the rear portion 82 of spreader 16 and into connection with wires 58 in space 46. In Fig. 1, the ends of wires 32 and 58 are shown looped together and spot welded at points 84 for secure interconnection. It will be noted that spreader 16 preferably has an intermediate narrow integral neck portion 86 which defines with portions 74 and 82 an annular recess 88 in which the ends of wires 32 and 58 are joined together. Preferably, portions 82 and 86 are generally cylindrical, with portion 82 of greater diameter than portions 74 and 86. Spreader 16 not only accurately guides wires 32 and 58 into proper alignment, but properly aligns and spaces, with spacer 18, the other components of device 10 and is wholly contained within hermetically sealed space 46 for full protection of wires 32 and 58 and conduits 26 and 52. It also acts, with spacer 18, as a shock-resistant cushioning component to prevent dislocation of components of device 10 under vibration conditions. In assembling device 10 conduits 26 are installed in passageways 20 after removing a portion of sheath 28 and core 30, to expose wires 32 and to permit conduits 26 to fit into and abut passageways 20. Then wires 32 are passed forwardly through passageways 80 of spreader 16. Sheath 54 and core 56 are stripped to expose wires 58, after which conduit 52 is installed in passageway 48 with receptacle 14 retracted to expose spreader 16. Wires 58 are fed through passageways 66 in spacer 18 and placed in grooves 76, then welded or otherwise joined to wires 32 in recess 88, whereupon receptacle 14 and plug are fitted together, and hermetical sealing is effected at points 36, 44 and 60 to complete the desired assembly. Thus, device 10 is rapid and easy to install and effectively aligns and protects conduits 26 and 52 and their wires 32 and 58 from corrosion, high temperature degradation and the like.

Claims: A hermetically sealed, multiple conduit-to-single conduit connector device (10), said device (10) comprising, in combination: a) a male plug (12) comprising a housing having a plurality of spaced, electrical conduit-receiving passageways (20) extending longitudinally therethrough from the rear end (22) to the front end (20) thereof; and b) a female receptacle (14) comprising a housing having an annular rim (40) within which the front end (24)of said male plug (12) is received to define a central space (46), said female housing including a central longitudinal passageway (48) extending therethrough communicating with said central space (46) and capable of receiving a single electrical conduit (52) carrying a plurality of wires (58); and c) a dielectric wire spreader (16) disposed in said central space (46) between said plug front end (24) and said longitudinal passageway (48), said spreader (16) including a rear male plug-abutting portion (72) and a front wire guide portion (74) connected thereto, said front wire guide portion (74) having a sloped outer surface bearing spaced wire-receiving grooves (76) for guiding wires (58) from an electrical conduit (52) in said female receptacle passageway (48) into contact with wires (32) from multiple electrical conduits (26) in said male plug passageways (20) within said central space (46), said male plug (12) and said female receptacle (14) being connected together as by welding, brasing or soldering. A connector device according to claim 1 wherein said rear portion (72) of said spreader (16) includes multiple conduit wire guide passageways (80) extending longitudinally therethrough. A connector device according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said front portion (44) of said wire spreader (16) is generally frusto-conical and is spaced from said rear spreader portion (72) by a neck portion (86). A connector device according to claim 3 wherein said front, neck and rear portion (74,86,82) of said wire spreader (16) are integral and wherein said wire spreader (16) has an annular space (88) surrounding said neck (86) for receiving the ends of and connections between said multiple conduit wires (58) and single conduit wires (32) . A connector device according to any one fo claims 1 to 4 wherein the rear portion of said wire spreader (72) is cylindrical, wherein said male plug passageways are (20) are disposed in a circular array, and wherein said male plug (12) housing and female receptacle (14) housing are cylindrical. A connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein said device (10) includes a cylindrical dielectric spacer (18) having a plurality of single conduit wire guide passageways (66) extending longitudinally therethrough, said spacer being disposed within said female receptacle central passageway (48) and abutting said wire spreader. A connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein said female receptacle (14) housing includes a necked down tubular end portion (50) defining a portion of said central passageway. A connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein said front end (24) of said male plug (12) has a stepped down portion (38) of reduced diameter received within said female receptacle rim (40). A connector device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein said device (10) includes five two-wire electrical conduits (46) hermetically sealed in said male plug passageways (20) and disposed around a common center, and said female receptacle central passageway (48) has a ten-wire single conduit (52) hermetically sealed therein. A connector device according to any one of claims 6 to 9 wherein said male plug (12) and female receptacle (14) comprise stainless steel and wherein said wire spreader (16) and dielectric spacer (18) comprise polytetrafluorethylene.

Inventors: MAULDIN, ROBERT H., REINHART, CHARLES W.
Applicants: WHITTAKER CORPORATION
Application year: 1986
Main classification: H01R13
IPC codes: H01R13