Electrical connector

• US 5,145,402 A
• Filed: 11/12/1991
• Issued: 09/08/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Senk, Joseph M., Plyler, Robert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz, Larry I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, HIEN D
• Application Number:
  US07/794,323
• Time in Patent Office: 301 Days
• Field of Search: 439/719, 439/271, 439/274, 439/275, 439/279, 439/445, 439/456, 439/459, 439/587, 439/457, 439/936, 439/606
• US Class Current: 439/459
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5219 Sealing means between coupling parts, e.g. interfacial seal
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5221 having cable sealing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/936 Potting material or coating, e.g. grease, insulative coating, sealant or, adhesive

Abstract

An electrical connector comprising a multiple terminal connector body has a sturdy and easily installed end cap that is secured to the connector body for sealing the cable end. The end cap includes a seal chamber that is disposed in a common cavity at the cable end of the connector body and contains a compliant sealing material which seals the open ends of the terminal cavities and encapsulates projecting ends of the electric terminals and trailing portions of the electric cables. The end cap is configured to maintain the integrity of the seal chamber, to permit the electric cables to pass out of the common cavity at the cable end of the connector body, to assure that the electric terminals are properly located in the terminal cavities of the connector body and to provide a strain relief in cooperation with portions of the connector body.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising:

a connector body having a cable end and a plurality of terminal cavities which open into a common cavity at the cable end of the connector body,

a plurality of electric terminals attached to electric cables that are disposed in the respective terminal cavities with trailing portions of the electric cables disposed in the common cavity, and

an end cap which is secured to the connector body for sealing the cable end of the connector body,

the end cap having a hood and a lip cooperatively forming a seal chamber with an end wall of the end cap,

the seal chamber communicating with the common cavity of the connector body and containing a compliant sealing material which seals the cable end of the electrical connector when the end cap is secured to the connector body, and

the lip of the end cap being spaced from the connector body to permit the trailing portions of the electric cables to pass out of the common cavity between the lip and the cable end of the connector body.

2. The electrical connector as defined in claim 1 wherein the end wall of the end cap is in close proximity to the cable end of the connector body so that the end cap cannot be secured to the connector body unless electric terminals are properly positioned in the terminal cavities.

3. The electrical connector as defined in claim 1 wherein the compliant sealing material is a gel sealant.

9. The electrical connector as defined in claim 1 wherein the compliant sealing material is a silicone dielectric gel that is cured in the seal chamber of the end cap before it is secured to the connector body.

10. The electrical connector as defined in claim 9 wherein the end cap has an outer hood which is spaced outwardly of the hood forming part of the seal chamber and the means spaced outwardly of the hood for securing the end cap to the connector body is located on the outer hood to preserve the integrity of the seal chamber.

18. The electrical connector as defined in claim 3 wherein the end cap has an outer hood which is spaced outwardly of the hood forming part of the seal chamber and the means spaced outwardly of the hood for securing the end cap to the connector body is located on the outer hood to preserve the integrity of the seal chamber.

4. An electrical connector comprising:

a connector body having a cable end and a plurality of terminal cavities which open into a common cavity at the cable end of the connector body,

a plurality of electric terminals attached to electric cables that are disposed in the respective terminal cavities with trailing portions of the electric cables disposed in the common cavity, and

an end cap which is secured to the connector body for sealing the cable end of the connector body,

the end cap having a hood and a lip cooperatively forming a seal chamber with an end wall of the end cap,

the seal chamber communicating with the common cavity of the connector body and containing a compliant sealing material which seals the cable end of the electrical connector when the end cap is secured to the connector body, and

the connector body having a separator that extends into the common chamber for spacing the trailing portions of the electric cables from each other, and the lip is disposed below the separator and spaced from the connector body to permit the electric cables to pass out of the common cavity between the lip and the cable end of the connector body.

5. An electrical connector comprising:

a connector body having a cable end and a plurality of terminal cavities which open into a common cavity at the cable end of the connector body,

a plurality of electric terminals attached to electric cables that are disposed in the respective terminal cavities with trailing portions of the electric cables disposed in the common cavity, and

an end cap which is secured to the connector body for sealing the cable end of the connector body,

the end cap having a hood and a lip cooperatively forming a seal chamber with an end wall of the end cap, and

the seal chamber communicating with the common cavity of the connector body and containing a compliant sealing material which seals the cable end of the electrical connector when the end cap is secured to the connector body, and

the connector body having an anvil which extends part way into the common cavity crosswise of the terminal cavities that bends the trailing portions of the electric cables substantially perpendicular to the terminal cavities when the end cap is secured to the connector body.

6. The electrical connector as defined in claim 5 wherein the lip of the end cap is spaced from the connector body to permit the trailing portions of the electric cables to pass out of the common cavity between the lip and the cable end of the connector body and cooperates with portions of the connector body to reversely bend the trailing portions of the electric cable.

7. An electrical connector comprising:

a connector body having a cable end and a plurality of terminal cavities which open into a common cavity at the cable end of the connector body,

a plurality of electric terminals attached to electric cables that are disposed in the respective terminal cavities with trailing portions of the electric cables disposed in the common cavity,

an end cap which is secured to the connector body for sealing the cable end of the connector body,

the end cap having a hood and a lip cooperatively forming a seal chamber with an end wall of the end cap,

the seal chamber communicating with the common cavity of the connector body and containing a compliant sealing material which seals the cable end of the electrical connector when the end cap is secured to the connector body, and

the end cap having means spaced outwardly of the hood for securing the end cap to the connector body.

8. The electrical connector as defined in claim 7 wherein the end cap has an outer hood which is spaced outwardly of the hood forming part of the seal chamber and the means spaced outwardly of the hood for securing the end cap to the connector body is located on the outer hood to preserve the integrity of the seal chamber.

16. The electrical connector as defined in claim 7 wherein the compliant sealing material is a gel sealant.

17. The electrical connector as defined in claim 7 wherein the compliant sealing material is a silicone dielectric gel that is cured in the seal chamber of the end cap before it is secured to the connector body.

11. An electrical connector comprising:

a connector body having a cable end, a longitudinal hood that extends from the cable end to form a common cavity, and a plurality of terminal cavities that open into the common cavity at the cable end of the connector body,

a plurality of electric terminals attached to electric cables that are disposed in the respective terminal cavities with trailing portions of the electric cables disposed in the common cavity at the cable end of the connector body, and

an end cap which is secured to the connector body for sealing the cable end of the connector body,

the connector body having an anvil which extends part way into the common cavity crosswise of the terminal cavities for bending the trailing portions of the electric cables substantially perpendicular to the terminal cavities when the end cap is secured to the connector body,

the connector body having a separator disposed below the anvil for spacing the bent trailing portions of the electric cables from each other,

the end cap having an outer hood which is disposed outside the longitudinal hood of the connector body and secured to the longitudinal hood of the connector body by snap-on retaining means,

the end cap having an inner hood disposed inside the longitudinal hood of the connector body,

the end cap having a lip disposed below the separator and spaced from the connector body to permit the bent trailing portions of the electric cables to pass out of the common cavity at the cable end of the connector body,

the inner hood and the lip cooperatively forming a seal chamber with an end wall of the end cap, and

the seal chamber communicating with the common cavity at the cable end of the connector body and containing a compliant sealing material which seals the cable end of the electrical connector when the end cap is secured to the connector body.

12. The electrical connector as defined in claim 11 wherein the compliant sealing material is a gel sealant.

13. The electrical connector as defined in claim 11 wherein the compliant sealing material is a silicone dielectric gel that is cured in the seal chamber of the end cap before it is secured to the connector body.

14. The electrical connector as defined in claim 11 wherein the separator of the connector body and the lip of the end cap cooperate to bend the trailing portions of the electric cables back toward the terminal cavities.

15. The electrical connector as defined in claim 11 wherein the end wall of the end cap is in close proximity to the cable end of the connector body so that the end cap cannot be secured to the connector body unless electric terminals are properly positioned in the terminal cavities.