Electrical connector with combination seal and contact member

• US 5,823,802 A
• Filed: 07/30/1997
• Issued: 10/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1997
• 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: Bartley, Robert Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrams, Neil
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, TULSIDAS C
• Application Number:
  US08/902,765
• Time in Patent Office: 447 Days
• Field of Search: 439/587, 439/125, 439/86, 439/913, 73/115, 324/393, 324/399, 324/400
• US Class Current: 439/86
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 23/10 by pressure-sensitive members of the piezoelectric type
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 23/22 for detecting or indicating knocks in internal-combustion engines; Units comprising pressure-sensitive members combined with ignitors for firing internal-combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/913 Condition determining device, e.g. oxygen sensor, accelerometer, ionizer chamber, thermocouple

Abstract

An electrical connector is plugged onto an electrical device that has a hollow sleeve and an annular bonnet that has an outer electrical contact ring. The electrical connector includes an annular insulator, a lower elastomeric seal ring, a combination seal and contact member, a shielded conductor to carry an electrical signal out of the electrical connector and a flanged metal guard ring. The combination seal and contact member has a non-conductive elastomeric annulus and a conductive elastomeric portion that are co-molded to provide a unitary annular part. The annulus has a flanged upper end that is bonded to the flanged guard ring and a thinner lower end that has a plurality of axially spaced circumferential flexible sealing lips that biasingly engage the bonnet above the outer electrical contact ring. The conductive elastomeric portion is made of a non-conductive elastomeric material that has conductive particles widely dispersed throughout the material so that the conductive elastomeric portion exhibits a high electrical resistance in the uncompressed state that diminishes when the elastomeric portion is compressed by the outer electrical contact ring of the bonnet so that the conductive elastomeric portion acts as an electrical conductor that connects the contact ring and the conductor electrically. The lower elastomeric seal ring has a plurality of axially spaced flexible circumferential sealing lips that biasingly engage the bonnet so that the electrical connector sealingly engages the bonnet below as well as above the contact ring and the conductive elastomeric portion of the combination seal and contact member.

Claims

1. An electrical connector for an electrical device having a hollow sleeve and an annular bonnet that has an outer electrical contact ring comprising:

an annular insulator, a lower elastomeric seal ring, a combination seal and contact member, a conductor to carry an electrical signal out of the electrical connector and a flanged metal guard ring,

the combination seal and contact member having a non-conductive elastomeric annulus and a conductive elastomeric portion that are co-molded to provide a unitary annular part,

the annulus having a flanged upper end that is bonded to the flanged metal guard ring and a thinner lower end,

the lower end having a plurality of axially spaced circumferential flexible sealing lips that project radially inwardly for biasingly engaging the bonnet above the outer electrical contact ring,

the conductive elastomeric portion being attached to the lower end in a co-molding operation where the non-conductive elastomeric annulus and the conductive elastomeric portion are molded simultaneously in a mold cavity,

the conductive elastomeric portion comprising a non-conductive elastomeric material that has conductive particles widely dispersed throughout the material before the conductive elastomeric portion is molded so that the molded conductive elastomeric portion exhibits a high electrical resistance in the uncompressed state that diminishes as the elastomeric portion is compressed,

the conductive elastomeric portion being shaped with an inner contact surface that has a minimum inner diameter that is less than the outer diameter of the outer electrical contact ring of bonnet so that the conductive elastomeric portion is biased radially outwardly and compressed by engagement with the ring contact so that the electrical resistance is reduced to a relatively low value and acts as an electrical conductor that connects the ring contact and the metal insert electrically, and

the lower elastomeric seal ring having a plurality of axially spaced flexible circumferential sealing lips that biasingly engage the bonnet so that the electrical connector sealingly engages the bonnet below as well as above the contact ring and the conductive elastomeric portion that acts as an electrical contact in the combination seal and contact member.

2. An electrical connector for an electrical device having a hollow sleeve and an outer electrical contact ring that is located outwardly of the sleeve comprising:

an annular insulator, a combination seal and contact member disposed in the annular insulator, and a conductor disposed between the annular insulator and the combination seal and contact member to carry an electrical signal out of the electrical connector,

the combination seal and contact member having a non-conductive elastomeric annulus and a conductive elastomeric portion,

the annulus having an upper end and a thinner lower end that has a plurality of axially spaced circumferential flexible sealing lips that project radially inwardly for biasingly engaging the electrical device above the contact ring,

the conductive elastomeric portion comprising a non-conductive elastomeric material that has conductive particles widely dispersed throughout the material so that the conductive elastomeric portion exhibits a high electrical resistance in the uncompressed state that diminishes as the elastomeric portion is compressed, and

the conductive elastomeric portion being shaped so that the conductive elastomeric portion is biased radially outwardly and compressed by engagement with ring contact so that the electrical resistance is reduced to a relatively low value and acts as an electrical conductor that connects the ring contact and the metal insert electrically when the electrical connector is installed on the electrical device.

3. The electrical connector as defined in claim 2 wherein the non-conductive elastomeric annulus and the conductive elastomeric portion are co-molded to provide a unitary combination seal and contact member and the conductive elastomeric portion is attached to the cylinder preferably in the co-molding operation where the non-conductive elastomeric annulus and the conductive elastomeric portion are molded simultaneously in a mold cavity.

4. The electrical connector as defined in claim 3 wherein the conductive elastomeric portion is ring shaped.

5. The electrical connector as defined in claim 3 wherein the conductive elastomeric portion comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced arcuate segments.

6. An electrical connector for an electrical device having an annular bonnet that has an outer electrical contact ring comprising:

an annular insulator, a combination seal and contact member, and a conductor to carry an electrical signal out of the electrical connector,

the combination seal and contact member having a non-conductive elastomeric annulus and a conductive elastomeric portion for connecting the contact ring to the conductor electrically,

the annulus having a lower end that has a plurality of axially spaced circumferential flexible sealing lips that project radially inwardly for biasingly engaging the bonnet,

the conductive elastomeric portion comprising a non-conductive elastomeric material that has conductive particles dispersed throughout the material so that the molded conductive elastomeric portion exhibits an electrical resistance in the uncompressed state that diminishes when the conductive elastomeric portion is compressed, and

the conductive elastomeric portion is shaped with an inner contact surface that has a minimum inner diameter that is less than the outer diameter of the outer electrical contact ring of bonnet so that the conductive elastomeric portion is biased radially outwardly and compressed by engagement with ring contact so that the electrical resistance is reduced when the electrical connector is plugged onto the bonnet.

7. The electrical connector as defined in claim 6 wherein the conductive elastomeric portion is ring shaped.

8. The electrical connector as defined in claim 6 wherein the conductive elastomeric portion comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced arcuate segments.

9. The electrical connector as defined in claim 6 wherein the conductive elastomeric portion is at the end of the cylinder of the non-conductive elastomeric annulus.

10. The electrical connector as defined in claim 6 wherein the combination seal and contact member has a flanged end that bonded to a flanged metal guard ring.

11. The electrical connector as defined in claim 6 further including a metal guard ring that is signed to overhang damageable portions of an electrical device having an annular bonnet that has an outer electrical contact ring.

12. The electrical connector as defined in claim 6 wherein the conductor is a part of a flexible printed circuit that includes inner and outer conductive layers for shielding the conductor.

13. The electrical connector as defined in claim 12 further including a flanged metal guard ring and outer conductive layers for shielding the conductor is grounded on the guard ring.