Electrical connecting device

Details Electrical connecting device Electrical connecting device

1999-02-01

2001-01-30

Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

With supporting means for coupling part

Coupling part or mating part extending into panel opening

C336S096000, C174SDIG002

Reexamination Certificate

active

06179655

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to electrical connecting devices, more particularly to ballasts for electrical lighting and the like, and connectors therefor, and especially to so-called “connectorized” and “leadless” ballasts which directly carry connectors for attachment to wiring in electrical fixtures such as fluorescent lamp fixtures.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Electrical connecting devices are commonly used throughout the lighting industry for connecting electrical leads (wires) together. For example, in connecting a lighting fixture (luminaire) to a ballast, lead wires (hard wired to the ballast) are routed directly to the lamp holders located at opposite ends of the fixture. The lamp holders are typically from two to eight feet apart depending on the length of the lamp for which the fixture is designed. For example, some electrical connectors are designed primarily for fluorescent lighting and are typically located within the fluorescent light fixture. Usually, the electrical ballast comprises a long rectangular metal housing or “can” with the electrical components mounted inside. A sealant or “potting compound” is then deposited inside the can which hardens to seal the electrical components within the can. Usually also, electrical wires present in the can project through the potting material into an electrical connector for interconnection thereto by a mating to electrical connector wires of the fixture.
Such an electrical connector is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,740 to Crowe in which the connector is said to be profiled for receipt within a cutout portion to seal the cavity within the housing during the curing of the potting compound. Some advantages and disadvantages of such a structure as represented by the Crowe disclosure are addressed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,260,678 and 5,350,316 (a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,678), both to Van Wagener et al. According to the Van Wagener et al patents, the “picture frame” mounting of the Crowe patent results in a construction that is unacceptable requiring extra cost and assembly time to force the connector into place or to wipe away potting compound that leaks from the housing. The Van Wagener et al patents also address a structure in which the connector fits through a window in the sheet metal of the housing and is held in place in the housing by two “ears” which protrude through the side walls of the ballast. Although it is asserted that a good seal can be made between the connector and housing if desired and that leakage is deterred, in actuality such a structure is not leakage-proof. It has been found that such a structure as described in Van Wagener et al also requires extra cost and assembly time because leakage of the potting compound can and does occur due to loose fitting contact between the connector and the housing and indirect mounting of the connector to the window or cut-out in the can. Additionally, as will be discussed further hereinbelow, with reference to
FIG. 10
of the Van Wagener et al patents, it will be seen that an external half-connector
70
is mated with an internal half-connector
50
. A male pin
96
e
is inserted in a female contact
110
e.
This simple connection in practice is accompanied by misalignment problems. The pin
96
e
does not always fit properly in the contact
110
e
and full insertion is not always achieved. Such misalignment problems are a source of hidden extra costs at assembly time and also cause damage to contacts and other latent defects. Also, with reference again to
FIG. 10
of the Van Wagener et al patents, there is disclosed a lower part of a metal wall
21
which forms a lip
21
″ which extends above the bottom of a hook-receiving chamber
57
formed in the half-connector and which receives a plastic hook
72
to secure the half-connector in place. This construction, before sealing, is prone to leakage and must be sealed prior to insertion in the can. In this case, sealing of the aperture to form the chamber
57
is accomplished by a sealing step or operation such as by ultrasonic welding, gluing or the like. Even after the sealing step, the structure is still prone to leakage and/or suffers from tolerance problems that result from the latching of a plastic part to a metal part.
There continues to be a need in the industry for a connecting device which includes means to exert better control over leakage of the potting compound, which avoids the problems of the prior art by providing latching of plastic part to plastic part without tolerance problems, which provides a latch chamber without the necessity of performing an additional sealing step, which is consistently substantially free of misalignment problems upon insertion of one half-connector into another half-connector, and which is suitable for purposes of ballast retrofit and ballast manufacture in terms of cost and ease of assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to provide improved electrical connecting devices such as electrical ballasts which may be easily adapted for connecting wires together, whether for purposes of ballast retrofit or manufacture. Another object of the invention is to provide improved electrical connecting devices that are of such construction that the control of leakage of the potting compound from the housing is substantially improved over that of known electrical connecting devices and which are otherwise free of the problems of the prior art discussed above.
For ease of discussion and illustration, the invention will be described in terms of its application as an electrical ballast. However, it will be understood that the connecting device need not and should not be limited to use as a ballast connector and is suitable for connecting wires of different types of devices together.
The nomenclature used to refer to the ballast herein is as follows: a generally flat coverplate is considered to be the top of the ballast, and the receptacle portion with a bottom wall, and/or a sidewall, and at least one end wall is considered to be the bottom. It will be understood that the ballasts may be inverted and the parts referred to accordingly.
In general, in accordance with the invention, there is provided, in its broadest sense, an electrical connecting device which includes a housing comprising at least one orifice having disposed therein a connector for making electrical connection between electrical power providing components and electrical power receiving components, said connector comprising inner and outer flange means which substantially envelop or sandwich edges of the orifice to provide a substantially continuous seal between at least side and bottom edge portions of said orifice and said connector.
In preferred embodiments of the invention, the electrical connecting device will include an internal half-connector having a plurality of electrical contacts fixed therein and adapted to mate with an external half-connector. In such a device, preferably said internal half-connector comprises inner and outer flange means, preferably inner and outer substantially continuous peripheral flanges which envelop or sandwich edge portions of the orifice, preferably outer and inner side and bottom edge portions of the orifice, to provide a substantially continuous seal between at least side and bottom edge portions of said orifice and said internal half-connector.
In preferred embodiments, the device also preferably includes at least one tongue defining an edge portion of the orifice, preferably a top edge portion of the orifice, mated with a complementary groove (or ramps thereof) formed in a wall portion of the half-connector, preferably a front top wall portion of the half-connector, such combination being referred to hereinafter as A “tongue and groove” seal.
Another embodiment of the invention includes, in combination, a ballast and connecting apparatus for use in a lamp fixture, preferably a fluorescent-lamp fixture. Such ballasts include at least one electrical winding, and plural electrical leads operatively connected to the winding, for carryi

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