High voltage electrical connection

• US 6,821,160 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2003
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Albrecht, James W., Fink, Randy L., Stein, William L. Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ta, Tho D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Leon, Edwin A.
• Application Number:
  US10/404,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20040198100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 439/701, 439/607-610, 439/594-599, 439/752, 439/352, 439/357, 439/851, 439/842, 439/816, 439/877-878, 439/787
• US Class Current: 439/701
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/512 assembled by screw or screws
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/53 Bases or cases for heavy duty; Bases or cases for high voltage with means for preventing corona or arcing
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6584 formed by conductive elastomeric members, e.g. flat gaskets or O-rings
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6592 the conductive member being a shielded cable

Abstract

A high voltage electrical connection includes an electrical receptacle connector and a mating electrical plug connector. The electrical receptacle connector includes a receptacle that is mounted over a hole in the casing and fastened thereto with a plurality of terminated electrical leads that are attached to an internal component of an electrical device inside the casing and threaded through a hole in the casing. The receptacle has a chamber including an inlet at one end that is aligned with the hole in casing and an outlet at the other end. The electrical receptacle connector also includes a terminal holder and a terminal housing, both of which are made of electrical insulation material. The holder retains the plurality of terminals, of the respective leads is inserted into the chamber through the outlet of the receptacle and retained in the chamber. The terminal housing is then inserted into the chamber via the outlet with its flange being disposed in the outlet. The flange has a plurality of spaced holes, each one of which receives one of the plurality of terminals. Flange includes a stop to locate the terminal housing with respect to the receptacle in a longitudinal direction of the terminals, and an integral shroud that extends outwardly of the outlet whereby the electrical receptacle connector is adapted to receive the mating plug connector. The mating electrical plug connector which includes a plurality of terminals each attached to one of a plurality of electrical leads, a connector body housing the plurality of terminals, a terminal position assurance (TPA)/wire dress feature for the plurality of terminals and electrical leads, and an, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield.

Claims

1. An electrical plug connector for a plurality of electrical leads comprising:

a plurality of terminals each attached to one of the plurality of electrical leads,

a connector body housing the plurality of terminals,

a terminal position assurance(TPA)/wire dress feature for the plurality of terminals and electrical leads,

and an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield,

wherein the connector body comprises a plurality of cylindrical portions, each cylindrical portion forming a cylindrical terminal cavity which receives one of the plurality of terminals attached to one of the plurality of electrical leads,

wherein the TPA/wire dress feature comprises a forward TPA portion that includes an end wall that has a plurality of lead slots with internal forward projecting collars that align with the terminal cavities respectively.

2. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 1 wherein the TPA/wire dress feature comprises a rearward wire dress portion.

3. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 1 wherein each of the terminals comprises a contact barrel at one end and an attachment portion at the opposite end, the contact barrel being a split barrel with the seam of the barrel being formed by interlocking tabs and slots to guard against the barrel seam opening up after prolonged use, the front of contact barrel having two diametrically opposed wings 88 that extend outwardly of the contact barrel.

4. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 3 wherein each of the terminals is a female terminal that includes a female contact insert that comprises a plurality of contact wires inside a support sleeve with the ends of the contact wires wrapped around the ends of the support sleeve.

5. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 1 wherein the plurality of cylindrical portions are arrayed side by side with their abutting side walls integrally joined together, each terminal cavity having a partial front wall defining a tri-lobal opening that includes a concentric lobe to provide access to the terminal and two eccentric lobes which facilitate the molding of two resilient, cantilevered, retention fingers inside the cylindrical terminal cavity that are integrally attached to the side wall of an enlarged rearward portion of each terminal cavity, the reduced forward portion of each terminal cavity having diametrically opposed guide slots for receiving the terminal wings, the retention fingers being pushed outwardly by contact barrels as contact barrels enter reduced forward portions the respective terminal cavities oriented and guided by terminal wings entering the guide slots and snapping down behind the contact barrels when the contact barrels are fully inserted to retain the contact barrels between the retention fingers and the partial front walls.

6. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 5 wherein the connector body also includes a medial flange that supports an annular hood that extends toward the forward contact end of the connector body to form an annular groove for receiving a shroud of a matable receptacle connector when the plug connector is mated to the receptacle connector and wherein an annular elastomeric seal is disposed at the end of the annular groove to seal the interface between the plug connector and the receptacle connector.

7. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 6 wherein a cable seal at disposed on each lead in a position behind the terminal.

8. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 7 further including a TPA/wire dress feature which comprises a forward TPA portion and a rearward wire dress portion connected together by a transition, the TPA portion including an end wall and a forward projecting hood that fits over the rearward end of the connector body, the end wall having a plurality of lead slots with integral forward projecting collars that align with the terminal cavities respectively, the hood having a plurality of loading slots that align with lead slots respectively and retention slots, the top of transition being open while the rearward dress portion is a closed collar.

9. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 8 wherein the collar has a plurality of longitudinal slots that are open at the rear or conductor end which includes a flange that is divided into a number of segments by the slots that increase the flexibility of the conductor end portion of collar so that the flange segments can be depressed radially inwardly, the electrical leads extending through collar and disposed in the lead slots, respectively, the projecting hood being disposed on the rearward portion of the connector body and locked in place by lock tabs engaging in retention slots, the forward projecting collars of end wall projecting into the ends of the terminal cavities and engaging the cable seals to assure that the cable seals as well as the terminals axe properly located in the terminal cavities.

10. The electrical plug receptacle connector as defined in claim 9 wherein the EMI shield engages over the collar and the annular hood of the connector body and wherein a gasket is attached to the front wall of the connector body using the integral studs of the front wall which are headed over to keep the gasket in place.

11. An electrical plug connector as defined in claim 1, wherein said plug connector has received a mating electrical receptacle connector for a plurality of electrical leads that are attached to an internal component of an electrical device inside a casing and threaded through a hole in the casing, the plurality of electrical leads having a plurality of receptacle terminal respectively, the electrical receptacle connector comprising:

a receptacle that is adapted to mount over the hole in the casing and be fastened thereto,

the receptacle having a chamber including an inlet at one end that is aligned with the hole in casing and an outlet at the other end,

a receptacle terminal holder and a plurality of receptacle terminals retained thereby being insertable into the chamber through the outlet and retained in the chamber,

a receptacle terminal housing being insertable into the internal chamber via the outlet and having a flange that is retained in the outlet, and

the flange having a plurality of spa holes extending through the flange, each hole receiving one of the plurality of receptacle terminals, respectively.

12. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 11 wherein the flange includes a stop to locate the terminal housing with respect to the receptacle in a longitudinal direction of the receptacle terminals and an integral shroud that extends outwardly of the outlet whereby the electrical receptacle connector is adapted to receive a mating plug connector.

13. An electrical plug connector as defined in claim 1, wherein said plug connector has received a mating electrical receptacle connector for a plurality of electrical leads that are attached to an internal component of an electrical device inside a casing and threaded through a hole in the casing, the plurality of electrical leads having a plurality of receptacle terminals respectively, the electrical receptacle connector comprising:

a receptacle that is adapted to mount over the hole in the casing and fastened thereto,

a receptacle terminal holder and a receptacle terminal housing, both of which are made of electrical insulation material,

the receptacle having a chamber including an inlet at one end that is aligned with the hole in casing and an outlet at the other end,

the holder having a plurality of laterally spaced terminal retainers retaining the plurality of receptacle terminals, respectively,

the holder and the plurality of receptacle terminals retained thereby being insertable into the chamber through the outlet and retained in the chamber to minimize the length of leads fed back into the chamber,

the receptacle terminal housing being insertable into the internal chamber via the outlet and having a flange that is disposed in the outlet,

the flange having a plurality of spaced holes extending through the flange, each hole receiving one of the plurality of receptacle terminals, respectively, and

the flange including a stop to locate the receptacle terminal housing with respect to the receptacle in a longitudinal direction of the receptacle this, and an integral shroud that extends outwardly of the outlet whereby the electrical receptacle connector is adapted to receive a mating plus connector.

14. An electrical plug connector as defined in claim 13, wherein the outlet of the chamber is a stepped outlet having an inner portion and a larger intermediate portion of the stepped outlet, wherein the terminal holder is retained in the inner portion of the stepped outlet, wherein the flange is retained in the larger intermediate portion of the stepped outlet and wherein the stop of the flange comprises a plurality of stop tabs that extend through spaces of the holder to engage an internal shoulder of the receptacle.

15. An electrical plug connector as defined in claim 14, wherein the end receptacle terminals are barrel type terminals that have a barrel shaped contact at one end and an opposite end that is attached to one of the electrical leads, wherein the opposite end includes an end collar, and wherein the laterally spaced terminal retainers retain the plurality of receptacle terminals respectively, by clips of holder with end collars cooperating with the clips and the retainers for axial retention of the receptacle terminals.

16. An electrical plug connector as defined in claim 15, wherein the opposite ends of the end receptacle terminals include an annuls recess which is spaced inwardly of the collar toward the contact and which receives an elastomeric O-ling seal, and wherein the flange has an integral terminal collar extending from an inner side of the flange for each hole that cooperates with the O-ring seal of the associated receptacle terminal to seal the passage through the hole.

17. An electrical plug connector as defined in claim 16, wherein the receptacle is a right angled metal receptacle and the stepped outlet is perpendicular to the inlet, wherein the receptacle terminal holder has a plurality of press ta, each of which is located between a pair of receptacle terminal retainers, and wherein the press tabs are received in retaining blots of the receptacle.

18. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 1 wherein the forward TPA portion includes a forward projecting hood that fits over the rearward end of the connector body.

19. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 18 wherein the hood has a plurality of loading slots that align with lead slots and retention slots, respectively.

20. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 18 wherein a cable seal is disposed on each lead in a position behind the terminal.

21. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 20 wherein the hood is configured to engage the cable seals, so as to assure that the cable seals and the terminals are properly located in the terminal cavities.

22. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 1 wherein the rearward dress portion is a closed collar.

23. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 22 wherein the rearward wire dress portion is connected together with the forward TPA portion by a transition.

24. The electrical plug connector as defined in claim 23 wherein the top of the transition is open.

25. A female terminal comprising a contact barrel at one end and an attachment portion at the opposite end, the contact barrel being a split bawl with the seam of the barrel being formed by interlocking tabs and slots to guard against the barrel seam opening up at prolonged use, the front of contact barrel having two diametrically opposed wings that extend outwardly of the contact barrel,

wherein the female terminal is received by a cylindrical terminal cavity formed by a cylindrical portion of a connector body

wherein a cable seal is disposed on a lead that is attached to attachment portion of the terminal, and

wherein the terminal cavity is adapt to cooperate with a TPA/wire dress feature so as to facilitate proper alignment of the cable seal and the terminal within the terminal cavity.

26. The female terminal as defined in claim 25 wherein the terminal is a female terminal that includes a female contact insert that comprises a plurality of contact wires inside a support sleeve with the ends of the contact wires wrapped around the ends of the support sleeve.

27. A method of assembling an electrical plug connector mated with an electrical receptacle connector for a plurality of electrical leads that are attached to an internal component of an electrical device inside a casing and threaded through a hole in the casing, the plurality of electrical wires having a plurality of terminals respectively, comprising the steps of:

providing an electrical plug connector for a plurality of electrical leads comprising, the plug connector comprising a plurality of terminals each attached to one of the plurality of electrical leads, a connector body housing the plurality of terminals, a terminal position assurance(TPA)/wire dress feature for the plurality of terminals and electrical leads, and an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield;

providing a receptacle having a chamber including an inlet at one end that is aligned with the hole in casing and an outlet at the other end,

mounting the receptacle over the hole in the casing and fastening the receptacle thereto so that the plurality of electrical leads end through the chamber and out of the outlet;

providing a receptacle terminal holder having a plurality of laterally spaced receptacle terminal retainers and a receptacle terminal housing having a flange with a plurality of spaced holes extending there through, both the receptacle terminal holder and the receptacle terminal housing being made of electrical insulation material;

retaining the plurality of receptacle terminals, respectively in the plurality of laterally spaced receptacle terminal retainers of the receptacle terminal holder respectively;

inserting the receptacle terminal holder into the chamber via the outlet and retaining the receptacle terminal holder in the chamber;

inserting the receptacle terminal housing into the internal chamber via the outlet with each hole of the flange receiving one of the plurality of receptacle terminals, respectively, and retaining the terminal housing in the chamber; and

mating the terminals of the electrical plug connector the receptacle terminals of the electrical receptacle connector.