Electrical connectors – Coupling part including flexing insulation – Sealing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-10
2001-02-27
Patel, T. C. (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Coupling part including flexing insulation
Sealing
C439S511000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193549
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a waterproof connector for electrical terminals, particularly a connector for use in the wiring of a vehicle such as an automobile.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 15
shows one known waterproof connector. In a female connector housing
100
shown in
FIG. 15
, cavities
101
accommodating female terminals
102
are arranged in a plurality of widthwise rows. Bus bar holders
104
each incorporating a bus bar
103
can be fitted in each of the upper row and lower row cavities
101
so that the terminals
102
can be connected in a predetermined pattern.
To waterproof this connector a one-piece rubber plug
105
is installed on a rear portion of the female connector housing
100
. Electrical wire insertion openings
106
through which the respective terminals
102
are insertable are formed through the rubber plug
105
and seal to electrical wires
107
connected with the respective terminals
102
. A holder
108
installed at the rear end of the housing
100
prevents the rubber plug
105
from being removed from the housing
100
. Sealing of gaps between the bus bar holders
104
and the cavities
101
is obtained by contact of the inner surfaces of the holders
104
with rubber rings
109
provided for each of the cavities
101
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, in this waterproof construction, two rubber rings
109
are used for the two bus bar holders
104
. It may be preferable to reduce the number of parts. Further, depending on the particular specification, some of the upper or lower level cavities
101
are entirely vacant. In such a case, unless the measure of setting bus bars in the vacant cavity row is taken, it is unavoidable that water penetrates into the female connector housing
100
. It is wasteful to use waterproof parts for the cavities
101
not in use.
The present invention seeks to solve the above-described problems. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a waterproof connector having a simple construction and yet capable of accomplishing a desirable level of waterproofing.
According to the invention in one aspect there is provided a waterproof connector for electrical terminals. The connector has a terminal housing having a front end and a rear end and a plurality of cavities extending in a direction from the front end to the rear end of the terminal housing and adapted to receive electrical terminals. The cavities are arranged in at least one row. The connector also has at least one bus bar installed on the terminal housing from the front end thereof, whereby the bus bar projects into the cavities to make contact with the terminals when the terminals are installed on the housing. There is a cap installable on the housing from the front end thereof so as to cover the housing and the bus bar, and a sealing member mounted at the rear end of the housing and having a plurality of apertures through which the terminals are passed into said cavities, with the apertures then sealing against electrical wires connected to the terminals. The sealing member has a periphery which seals to an inner peripheral surface of the cap when the cap is installed on the housing.
Preferably there is provided a seal holding member that locks to the terminal housing and sandwiches the sealing member between itself and the housing, the seal holding member and the cap having cooperating locking members.
Preferably also the terminal housing or the seal holding member has at least one locating device that positions the sealing member. This achieves accurate location of the cap.
In the invention, the terminals can be connected in a predetermined pattern by fitting the bus bar or bars, which may be held in bus bar holders, in the cavities which are preferably arranged widthwise in a plurality of vertical rows in the housing. To seal the electrical wires connected with the terminals, the edge of the sealing hole of the sealing member closely contacts the coating of the electric wire. To seal the gaps between the bus bar holders and the connector housing, a sealing edge formed at the peripheral edge of the sealing member closely contacts the cap accommodating the bus bar holders and the housing.
Thus one sealing member can be used to seal against both the electrical wires and the gaps between bus bars/bus bar holders and the terminal housing. Thus, a smaller number of parts is used for the waterproof connector of the present invention than in the prior art, in which the sealing functions are performed separately. Further, because the cap can cover the bus bar holders and the connector housing, it is a simple matter to maintain the waterproofing of the connector when cavities of any of the rows are vacant, e.g. by blocking the vacant cavity with resin.
A further problem can arise during assembly of a connector of this type.
In assembling the connector from the sealing member and the seal holding member, an automatic machine installs the sealing member and the seal holding member on the terminal housing. Then, the insertion of the terminals and the installation of the bus bars/bus bar holders and the cap is carried out manually. To insert the predetermined terminals into the predetermined cavity correctly, it is necessary for the operator to discriminate the upper and lower sides of the housing. Thus, the housing, the sealing member, and the seal holding member may be formed trapezoidally in their sectional shapes (shape seen in the terminal insertion direction), so that they are vertically directional.
However, because the vertically directional parts are installed on the housing by the automatic machine, it is necessary to provide a parts feeder for supplying the parts to the automatic machine with a mechanism for discriminating the orientation of the parts and correcting their orientation. Thus, the parts feeder has a complicated construction.
Therefore, with an object of allowing a parts feeder for supplying parts to an automatic assembly machine to have a simple construction, the cavities of the waterproof connector are preferably elongate and parallel, and are symmetrically arranged in at least one planar array to form (a) a first symmetry plane which is parallel to or coincident with the plane of the planar array, and/or (b) a second symmetry plane which is perpendicular to said planar array, while the seal holding member of the waterproof connector has an external shape which is asymmetrical with respect to the first and/or second symmetry plane.
The sealing member and the terminal housing may be symmetrical with respect to a 180° rotation about an axis parallel to a line of insertion of the terminals. Preferably, at least one convex portion and/or at least one concave portion is formed on a peripheral surface of the seal holder so as to give the seal holder an asymmetrical external shape.
In some embodiments of the invention, because the seal holding member has an asymmetrical configuration, an operator can recognize the orientation of the seal holder, namely, the address of the terminal insertion opening. Thus, the operator can insert the terminals into the predetermined cavities correctly. Thus, the terminals are connected in a correct pattern. Because it is possible to allow the sealing member and the housing to have a 180° rotation symmetry axis respectively, a parts feeder for supplying the parts to an automatic machine is allowed to have a simple construction.
It is possible to recognize the orientation of the seal holding easily and reliably by visually checking the one or more convex portions and/or the one or more concave portions formed on the peripheral surface of the seal holding member.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4690478 (1987-09-01), Rahrig et al.
patent: 5000699 (1991-03-01), Nadin
patent: 5112239 (1992-05-01), Yagi et al.
patent: 5201667 (1993-04-01), Endo et al.
patent: 2-61082 (1990-05-01), None
patent: 4-42082 (1992-04-01), None
patent: 9-213436 (1997-08-01), None
Fukatsu Yukihiro
Ichida Kiyofumi
Suzuki Izumi
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Patel T. C.
Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd.
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