Connector with fluid-sealing means

Abstract: A connector having a male part and a matching female part, both parts are provided with mating faces extending essentially parallel to the plug-in direction and moving along each other when these parts mate with each other. One connector part is provided with one or more radially projecting collars which are sawtooth-shaped in cross-section and extend over the entire periphery of the mating face. The other connector part has a smooth surface extending over the entire periphery of the fitting face so that after the parts are plugged in, the outside edge of each collar rests in sealing fashion on the opposite smooth fitting face. The male part can be a supporting body for the contact elements of the connector and/or a contact element itself. The female part can be the housing of the connector and/or an aperture in the supporting body for receiving a contact element.

Description: The invention relates to a connector with fluid-sealing means comprising at least one male part and a matching female part, said parts being provided with mating faces extending essentially parallel to the plug-in direction and moving along each other when these parts are being plugged into each other, at least one mating face of a connector part being provided with one or more radially projecting collars which are sawtooth-shaped in cross-section and extend over the entire periphery of the mating face, the opposite mating face of the other connector part being smooth over its entire periphery, the outside edge of each collar projecting radially further than the smooth surface of the opposite mating face when the connector parts are not plugged into each other. For the fluid seal between a male part and a female part of an electrical connector use is generally made of a tubular rubber or plastic sealing element fitted between the mating faces of the connector parts. The object of the invention is to produce a reliable seal for a connector, in which the separate rubber or plastic sealing element can be left out, and in which the sealing and fixing means are combined with the connector parts, so that the number of parts of the connector can be reduced and fitting of the connector parts can be simplified, while an excellent fluid seal is still obtained. The reduction of the number of parts makes it possible to produce the connector more cheaply and makes mating easier. The document DE-U-8609767 discloses a connector with fluid-sealing means comprising two sawtooth-shaped collars made of a soft material. During insertion of the connector parts, these soft collars bend and slide along the opposite mating face, thus producing a flexible fluid seal. Since this seal is flexible, the connector parts are not rigidly fixed and can move relative to each other. Such a movement of the connector parts may result in leakage of the fluid seal. From the U.S. Patent 3,193,895 a connector is known, which comprises at least one male part and a matching female part. The male part comprisesa sleeve and a plug member having three conical enlargements, by which the plug member is retained in the bore 36 of the sleeve after pressing a plug member into said bore. These enlargements only function as mechanical retaining means and not as a fluid-sealing means. Furthermore, the enlargements have identical maximum diameters. The invention seeks to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages and to provide a connector with fluid-sealing means constituting the rigid fluid seal free from any leakage. This is achieved according to the invention by the combination of features defined in Claim 1. The outside edge of each collar projects radially further inwards or outwards than the face of the opposite mating smooth mating face of the other connector part. The smooth combining face is consequently pressed in slightly by the outside edge of the connector and an excellent fluid seal is obtained. The outside edges must not, however, project so far that excessive deformation of the outside edge and/or the opposite smooth mating face occurs. In general, the distance of projection of the outside edge of the collar past the plane of the opposite smooth mating face will depend on the sawtooth shape and on the materials from which the collars and the smooth mating faces are made. The collars will be made of a harder material than the opposite smooth mating faces. The collars can be made of, for example, metal and the smooth mating faces of plastic. This means that, on plugging in, the hard collars deform the opposite smooth mating faces slightly in such a way that grooves, running along the entire periphery, are produced in the smooth mating faces, in which grooves the edges of the sawtooth-shaped collars rest. The concentration of the clamping stress between the connector parts in the grooves thus formed produces a very high pressure locally, which effectively counteracts the penetration of gases and liquids. Besides, the fact that the edges of the collars rest in the grooves formed by the clamping, means that a great resistance has to be overcome in order to move the collars relative to the clamping faces, so that accidental shifting of the connector parts relative to each other is virtually ruled out. It will be clear that in a groove provided beforehand for the sawtooth edge the clamping stress will be lower than in a groove formed by pressing in the smooth mating face. Insertion of the parts can be facilitated if the side of the sawtooth-shaped collars facing the plug-in direction of the part provided with collars has less of an inclination than the other side of said collars, i.e. the flank at the plug-in direction of the sawtooth stands at a slight angle relative to the mating face, for example at an angle of 15 to 45°. Since in general a permanent seal is desired and it is not necessary to disconnect the connector parts again, the sawtooth-shaped collars can advantageously be designed in such a way that the side of the sawtooth-shaped collars facing away from the plug-in direction of the part provided with collars is fairly steep, for example runs at an angle of 60 to 90° relative to the mating face. It is, of course, also possible to make this angle greater than 90°, for example 100° or 120°, so that the side of the collars facing away from the plug-in direction slopes in the same direction as the other sides. The flanks of the sawtooth, either each individually or both, can also be made curved, for example in the form of a concave semi-circle. Where several parallel collars are used, plugging-in of parts can be made even easier by varying the circumference of the collars in such a way that the collar which on insertion comes into contact first with the opposite mating face grips less deeply into the smooth mating face than the following collar(s). Of course, both collars and smooth clamping faces can occur on a connector part. It is also possible to use the fluid-sealing means according to the invention for sealing between metal contact pins and/or sockets of an electric connector which are closed at one side and the connector body. The contact pins or contact sockets here form the male parts, and the plastic connector body forms the female part. In practice, contact pins are generally moulded in during the manufacture of the connector body. Through temperature fluctuations and mechanical stresses in the connector, play can arise between the metal contact pins of the connector body, thereby causing the fluid seal to be lost. Where the fluid-sealing means according to the invention are used, the contact face of the collars and the opposite smooth mating face are provided with a very good sealing clamping stress, which cannot be guaranteed when the pins are moulded in. This also produces a better seal which is resistant to temperature fluctuations. The invention will now be explained in greater detail with reference to an example of an embodiment shown in the drawings. Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a connector, provided with fluid-sealing means according to the invention, with the parts disassembled. Fig. 2 is a cross-section drawing along the line II-II of the connector of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-section of the connector body and a contact pin from Fig. 2. The connector according to Fig. 1 comprises a connector body 1, a connector housing 2, contact pins 3, a flexible sheet 4, a cap 5, a locking ring 6 and an O-ring 7. The connector body 1 is provided with a smooth cylindrical mating face 8, for example in the form of a body of revolution, for sliding in the connector housing 2, holes 9 for the accommodation of the contact pins 3, and locking lobes 10 for fitting the cap 5 in a locked position. In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown here, the connector body 1 is made of plastic. The connector housing 2, which is preferably made of metal, is provided with sawtooth-shaped collars 11 running all the way round the internal periphery, for mating with the mating face 8 to clamp the connector housing 2 on the connector body 1. The collars 11 in the embodiment shown are integral with the mating face of the connector housing 2. The connector housing 2 is also provided with a circular groove 12 for the accommodation of the O-ring 7, and with a screw thread 13 for screwing on the locking ring 6 mating with a screw thread 14 provided on the locking ring 6, and with lobes 15 and grooves 16 for connecting a further connector (not shown) in a locked manner. The O-ring 7, which is made of, for example, rubber or plastic, by mating with the locking ring 6, ensures that the connector is fixed in a sealing manner on a metal or plastic plate provided with an aperture for the purpose, the connector housing 2 being plugged into the aperture in the plate. The diameter of the aperture must be approximately the same as the internal diameter of the O-ring 7, so that the aperture can be shut off by screwing on the locking ring 6. The flexible sheet 4, which provides the electrical connection to an electrical device, is provided with apertures 17 for accommodating and contacting the ends of the contact pins 3. When the unit is assembled, the sheet 4 lies clamped between the pull relief 18 of the cap 5 and a part (not shown) of the connector body 1 fitting on the pull relief 18. The locking lobes 19 ensure that in the assembled state the cap 5 is fixed in a locked position on the connector body 1. Fig. 2 shows the way in which the connector body 1 is pushed in a tight-fitting manner into the connector housing 2, in such a way that a good seal against gases and liquids is also obtained. The connector body 1 is inserted in the plug-in direction A into the connector housing 2, in which case the sawtooth-shaped collars 11 engage with the smooth, somewhat resilient mating face 8 of the connector body 1. The collars 11 here penetrate into the mating face 8 over a short distance. In order to make the plugging-in easer, the collars 11 in the embodiment shown are of a height which increases in the plug-in direction A of the connector body, so that the collar which on plugging-in first comes into contact with the opposite smooth mating face 8 will penetrate less far into said mating face than the next collar. This is shown in an exaggerated manner in Fig. 2, for the sake of clarity. Fig. 3 shows the way in which the metal contact pins 3 are fitted tightly in the apertures 9 of the connector body 1. The pin inserted in the plug-in direction B has sawtooth-shaped collars 20 which engage with the smooth mating face 21 of the aperture 9. The metal collars 20 here penetrate into the plastic mating face 21, so that a good seal is produced. The insertion of the contact pins 3 can also be made easier by varying the diameter of the collars 20, as shown in Fig. 3. The height of the collars 20 decreases gradually in the plug-in direction B of the contact pin, so that the collar which on plugging-in first comes into contact with the opposite smooth mating face 21 will penetrate less far into said mating face than the following collars. The last collar which comes into contact with the mating face, in the embodiment shown the third collar, will deform the opposite mating face 21 most. This is also shown in a slightly exaggerated manner in Fig. 3, for the sake of clarity. Through the use of at least two clamping collars, the contact pin is prevented from pivoting about a collar, which could lessen the sealing action. Other embodiments of both the fluid-sealing elements and the connector are, of course, possible. For example, the connector body 1 can also be provided with sawtooth-shaped collars on the outside, while the inside of the connector housing 2 is smooth, or the connector body 1 and the connector housing 2 can both be provided with not only sawtooth-shaped collars, but also smooth mating faces. The connector housing 2 or the contact pins 3 can also be provided with more or differently shaped collars, or the collars can have the same circumference. It is also possible to fit a further connector tightly, also with fluid-sealing means according to the invention.

Claims: Connector with fluid-sealing means, comprising at least one male part and a matching female part, said parts being provided with mating faces extending essentially parallel to the plug-in direction and moving along each other when these parts are being plugged into each other, at least one mating face of a connector part being provided with one or more radially projecting collars which are sawtooth-shaped in cross-section and extend over the entire periphery of the mating face, the opposite mating face of the other connector part being smooth over its entire periphery, the outside edge of each collar projecting radially further than the smooth surface of the opposite mating face when the connector parts are not plugged into each other, characterized in that said collars are formed of a material which is harder than the smooth surface of the opposite mating face, so that when inserted the harder collars penetrate into the softer smooth surface to create a fluid seal between the male and female connector parts and that the first collar to contact the other mating face during insertion has the smallest height and the height of the next successive collar is greater than the former. Connector according to claim 1, characterized in that each mating face of each connector part has both at least one projecting collar and at least one smooth surface for mating with a smooth surface or a projecting collar of the other connector part. Connector according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the smooth part of the mating face is made of plastic and the collars are made of metal. Connector according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sawtooth-shaped cross-section of the collar has a steep and a less steep flank, the less steep flank facing the plug-in direction of the part provided with collars. Connector according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the male part is a metal pin and the female part is a connector part provided with a suitable aperture. Connector according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the male part is a plastic block. Connector according to claim 6, characterized in that the female part is a metal housing.

Inventors: MOUISSIE BOB, MOUISSIE, BOB
Applicants: BERG ELECTRONICS MFG, CONNECTOR SYSTEMS TECH NV, DU PONT, DU PONT NEDERLAND, BERG ELECTRONICS MANUFACTURING B.V., CONNECTOR SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY N.V., DU PONT DE NEMOURS (NEDERLAND) B.V., E.I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS AND COMPANY
Application year: 1991
Main classification: H01R13
IPC codes: H01R13