Electrical connectors – Coupling part including flexing insulation – Sealing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-10
2002-11-12
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part including flexing insulation
Sealing
Reexamination Certificate
active
06478619
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates generally to electrical connectors for electrically connecting two objects together. More specifically, this invention relates to pin/socket electrical connectors that sealably connect to keep out water, dust and other contaminates and which are able to maintain the electrical connection when exposed to vibrations and other adverse conditions. Even more specifically, this invention relates to electrical connectors for connecting the electrical components of a towed vehicle to the electrical system of a towing vehicle.
B. Background
Many devices are electrically joined together or joined to an electrical system through the use of an electrical connector. Most of these are of the plug and socket type. The basic purpose of the typical plug/socket connector is to provide a secure, yet easily removable, connection. For instance, virtually all televisions, computers, home appliances and other such devices electrically connect to a home or business electrical system by utilizing a plug that connects the wires of the device to an outlet (i.e., socket) that is connected to the electrical system. Generally, these plug connectors are designed and configured to connect to any standard outlet so that electricity can be delivered to the electrical components of the device no matter where it is used. Although the electrical components of the devices vary substantially from one device to another, the use of the standard plug and outlet configuration allows all devices to be utilized in the same electrical system. Some devices, for instance clothes dryers and many industrial devices, require a different plug arrangement that is configured to compensate for the special needs (i.e., voltage) of the device relative to standard devices.
Generally, the typical plug/socket connector commonly used in homes and business are not exposed to water and other fluids, excessive dust and other contaminants or to vibration forces of any measurable amount. This is not the case, however, for electrical connectors utilized for connecting the electrical components of a towed vehicle with the electrical system of a towing vehicle. A number of different vehicles can be towed. For instance, trailers, including trailers used for hauling boats, cars, motorcycles, snow or water craft are commonly towed by commercial and non-commercial vehicles. In addition, trailers are used to transport goods, livestock and other materials for commercial purposes. Naturally, because they are used outside, both the towing vehicle and towed vehicle are exposed to the elements, including rain, snow, freezing temperatures and the like. In addition, both vehicles are often exposed to blowing dust and other materials. As the towed and towing vehicle move together down the road, they are also exposed to vibration forces from the motion of the vehicle wheels against the road, whether nominally smooth or not. On occasion, the vibration forces can be somewhat significant, such as when passing over a large pothole.
The towing vehicle, which is usually a car or truck, has an electrical system that connects the forward lights, tail lights, brake lights, turning signals and other electrical components to the vehicle's electrical supply (i.e., battery, generator, etc.). Generally, the towed vehicle does not have its own electrical supply and, therefore, must electrically connect to the towing vehicle to supply electrical power to the towed vehicle's electrical components (including brake, tail, turning and other lights). To avoid having to hand wire the wiring system of the towed vehicle to each towing vehicle, virtually all modern towing arrangements utilize an electrical connector to electrically connect the two vehicles. For uniformity purposes, many different towing systems utilize the same or similar connectors. In general, the electrical connector between the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle connects the electric components of the towed vehicle with the towing vehicle's electrical system. In this way, when the operator of the towing vehicle turns on the lights, steps on the brakes or turns the signal light on, the corresponding light(s) in the towed vehicle also operate.
Several patents have issued for electrical connectors which are utilized for electrically connecting a towed vehicle to a towing vehicle. One such patent is U.S. Pat. No. 2,660,679 to Hunt. This patent discloses a connector for interchangeably connecting the wiring systems of tractors and trailers that comprises a plug member and a cap member having a number of jacks that fit into sockets in the plug member. The plug and cap are locked together with a pin and slot mechanism to enclose the jack/socket connections. Another patent is U.S. Pat. No. 3,059,073 to French, which discloses an electrical connector having a cylinder with a number of pairs of contacts spaced about the cylinder and a plunger having metal male elements thereon. A spring is located between the plunger and the closed end of the cylinder to bias the plunger toward the open end of the cylinder. The trailer connector, having conductive sockets therein, is inserted into the cylinder to make the electrical connection. A latch element holds the trailer connector in the cylinder. Yet another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,335,389 to Reichardt, discloses a tail light adapter bulb that has a separate socket and bulb for providing external electrical connection between vehicles and trailers. The tail light adapter has pig-tail leads that have female connectors that connect to the male connectors of the trailer lighting system. The electrical hook-up between a towing vehicle and trailer can be done by removing the pre-existing tail light bulb and installing the adapter bulb assembly in its place.
Yet another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,461 to Schubert et al., discloses a molded connector that includes a number of cavities and passages in a single housing. Conductor wires are inserted into the connector through the passageways and spring fingers open to engage shoulders so as to prevent rearward movement of the wires. Forward movement of the wires is prevented by shoulders that lock the conductor wires in place. Sealing members and corresponding annular grooves to lock the sealing members into position are used to prevent the entry of moisture, dust, etc. into the connector. U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,750 to Cairns et al. discloses a connector assembly having a plug body and a socket body for use with the pin/socket junction elements of fiber-optical and electrical connectors in underwater conditions. The plug body mates with the socket body by a coupling sleeve that engages the threaded end portion of the plug body. The fiber-optic or electrical leads on the plug side terminate at a probe at the front of the plug body. The fiber-optic or electrical leads on the socket body side terminate in a ferrule having a sleeve that projects forwardly therefrom to form a socket for receiving a respective probe from the plug body. When the plug and socket are joined together, a spring biases the end faces of each probe against the end face of the corresponding socket so that the fiber/electrical ends are in contact for optical/electrical connection.
None of the aforementioned devices solves the problems associated with secure electrical connections in the manner of the present invention. For towing and other purposes it is important to have electrical connectors that sealably connect so as to keep out water, dust and other contaminants to avoid shorting or otherwise interrupting the electrical connection between the two vehicles. In addition, the electrical connector needs to take into account the vibration forces that the two vehicles will be subject to so as to avoid unintentional disconnecting of the electrical connector. Current pin and socket have a number of problems when used in the above-described uses. For instance, the standard pin and socket connector relies on a tight “interference” fit that holds the pin in the socket.
Luebke Renee
Nguyen Phuongchi
Ryan Richard A.
LandOfFree
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