Patent ID: 7500859

Claim:
An electrical connector connectable in water or in a liquid medium, comprising two complementary connector elements, respectively a male element ( 1 ) and a female element ( 13 ) configured to be coupled together in service in said liquid medium, the male connector element ( 1 ) comprising at least one contact pin ( 5 ) projecting from the male connector element, and the female connector element ( 13 ) comprising at least one opening ( 27 ) for the pin ( 5 ) to pass through to couple said connector elements, the opening ( 27 ) blocked, in the uncoupled position, by an electrically insulating piston element ( 29 ) fitted to slide inside the female connector element in an electrically insulating rigid contact chamber ( 21 ), which receives via a contact area ( 41 ) the contact pin ( 5 ) of the male connector element on coupling, the piston element ( 29 ) and the contact pin ( 5 ) also sliding in a sealed manner on coupling into the contact chamber ( 21 ) via at least two axially separate seals, one seal ( 45 ) located close to said opening ( 27 ) and the second seal ( 45 ′) located downstream of the contact area ( 9 , 41 ) of the pin and of the contact chamber with respect to the opening ( 27 ), the surface of the piston element ( 29 ) between the two seals ( 45 , 45 ′) linked to a chamber filled with electrically insulating fluid ( 49 ), formed inside the connector element, the chamber linked to an external flexible wall element ( 51 ) that deforms to accept the insertion or removal of the contact pin ( 5 ) into or from the contact chamber ( 21 ), in respective connector coupling and uncoupling operations, the contact area also filled with electrically insulating fluid and separated from the rest of the connector by a third seal ( 47 ) provided on the piston element ( 29 ) or in the contact chamber ( 21 ), a rear part of the contact chamber ( 21 ), behind the piston element ( 29 ), also filled with electrically insulating fluid via an appropriate hole through a wall of the contact chamber, and said third seal element ( 47 ) separating the contact area filled with electrically insulating fluid from the contact chamber, so to avoid any trace of water or of polluting external liquid medium in the contact area ( 9 , 41 ) on coupling; wherein said third seal is located on an axial side of said contact area opposite said at least two axially separate seals.