Moisture Resistant Seal for Electrical Cable Assemblies

Abstract

An electrical connector including a linear locking device, which is provided as a weatherproof structure for connecting and disconnecting an electrical cable quickly and easily but comprises a robust structure that will not disconnect easily. The electrical connector is resistant to breakage and is keyed for quick connection without the need to look at the connector to make a secure connection.

Claims

1. A weatherproof electrical connector comprising: a first connector having first and second ends, the first end formed as an insertion section, the insertion section having: an end face having a plurality of cavities; a plurality of electrically conductive receptacles positioned within said plurality of cavities; a second connector having first and second ends, the first end formed as a cavity for receiving said insertion section, the cavity having a plurality of protrusions positioned therein and corresponding to said plurality of cavities in said end face of said insertion section, wherein each of said plurality of protrusions is provided with an end face with an opening provided therein, and a pin for engaging with a corresponding electrically conductive receptacle in the plurality of cavities in the end face of said first connector; said first connector having a locking member formed as an arm and having a protrusion at a distal end of said arm; said second connector having an undercut positioned thereon that is adapted to interact with the protrusion such that when the first and second connectors are fully seated with each other, the protrusion interacts with said undercut to prevent said first and second connectors from being pulled apart.

2. The weatherproof electrical connector of claim 1, wherein said arm is formed at an inclination relative to an outer surface of said first connector.

3. The weatherproof electrical connector of claim 2, said arm further comprising an area adapted to receive a force at a proximal end of said arm such the distal end of said arm is adapted to disengage with the undercut so that the first and second connectors can be disengaged with each other.

4. The weatherproof electrical connector of claim 3, said first connector further comprising a raised section provided adjacent to the proximal end of said arm.

5. The weatherproof electrical connector of claim 4, wherein said raised section is formed as an inclined surface relative to an outer surface of the first connector.

6. The weatherproof electrical connector of claim 5, wherein said raised section comprises at least four separate raised sections adjacent to each other.

7. The weatherproof electrical connector of claim 4, said second connector further comprising a raised section provided on an outer surface of the second connector.

8. The weatherproof connector of claim 1, wherein said plurality of cavities comprises six cavities.

9. The weatherproof connector of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of cavities is keyed to ensure said first connector can only be connected with said second connector in one alignment.

10. The weatherproof connector of claim 1, wherein said plurality of electrically conductive pins are seated in a flexible material allowing for lateral displacement without breakage of said pins.

11. The weatherproof connector of claim 10, wherein the flexible material comprises molded silicone and provides a seal at a bottom portion of the pins.

12. The weatherproof connector of claim 1, wherein said second end of said first connector comprises a compression connector for receiving and securely holding a cable to be coupled with said first connector.

13. The weatherproof connector of claim 12, wherein said second end of said second connector comprises a compression connector for receiving and securely holding a cable to be coupled with said second connector.

14. The weatherproof connector of claim 1, wherein said insertion section comprises an outer surface that includes at least one channel with an O-ring positioned therein, said O-ring adapted to interact with an inner surface of said cavity in said second connector to form a seal.

15. The weatherproof connector of claim 14, wherein said at least one channel comprises a plurality of channels, each of said plurality of channels having an O-ring positioned therein, said O-rings adapted to interact with the inner surface of said cavity in said second connector to form seals.

16. The weatherproof connector of claim 15, wherein said O-ring positioned in said channel closest to the distal end of said insertion section has a circumference smaller than the O-rings positioned in the other channels closer to a proximal end of the insertion section.

17. The weatherproof connector of claim 1, wherein said insertion section is tapered such that a circumference of the distal end of said insertion section is smaller than a circumference of the proximal end of said insertion section.

18. The weatherproof connector of claim 1, wherein the arm comprises a first arm and said protrusion comprises a first protrusion, and wherein said undercut comprises a first undercut, the weatherproof connector further comprising: a second arm positioned on said first connector on an exterior surface thereof, said second arm positioned opposite said first arm, said second arm having a second protrusion at a distal end of said second arm; a second undercut positioned on said second connector on an exterior surface thereof, said second undercut positioned opposite said first undercut; wherein when the first and second connectors are fully seated with each other, the first protrusion interacts with said first undercut and the second protrusion interacts with said second undercut to prevent said first and second connectors from being pulled apart.

19. A weatherproof electrical connector comprising: a first connector having a first end formed as an insertion section, the insertion section having an end face with a plurality of cavities formed therein; a second connector having a first end formed as a cavity for receiving said insertion section, the cavity having a plurality of protrusions positioned therein corresponding to said plurality of cavities; wherein each of said plurality of protrusions is provided with an end face with an opening provided therein; a pin provided in each of the plurality of cavities or each of the openings, and an electrically conductive receptacle provided in each of the plurality of cavities or each of the openings, wherein the pin and receptacles are designed to interact with each other to form an electrical connection; said first connector having a locking member formed as an arm and having a protrusion at a distal end of said arm; said second connector having an undercut positioned thereon that is adapted to interact with the protrusion such that when the first and second connectors are fully seated with each other, the protrusion interacts with said undercut to prevent said first and second connectors from being pulled apart.

20. The weatherproof connector of claim 19, wherein said arm is formed at an inclination relative to an outer surface of said first connector.

21. The weatherproof electrical connector of claim 20, said first connector further comprising a raised section provided adjacent to a proximal end of said arm.

22. The weatherproof connector of claim 19, wherein at least one of said plurality of cavities is keyed to ensure said first connector can only be connected with said second connector in one alignment.

23. The weatherproof connector of claim 19, wherein the pins are seated in a flexible material allowing for lateral displacement without breakage of the pins.

24. The weatherproof connector of claim 23, wherein the flexible material comprises molded silicone and provides a seal at a bottom portion of the pin.

25. The weatherproof connector of claim 19, wherein said second end of said first connector comprises a compression connector and said second end of said second connector comprises a compression connector.

26. The weatherproof connector of claim 19, wherein said insertion section comprises an outer surface that includes at least one channel with an O-ring positioned therein, said O-ring adapted to interact with an inner surface of said cavity in said second connector to form a seal.

27. The weatherproof connector of claim 26, wherein said at least one channel comprises a plurality of channels, each of said plurality of channels having an O-ring positioned therein, said O-rings adapted to interact with the inner surface of said cavity in said second connector to form seals.

28. The weatherproof connector of claim 27, wherein said O-ring positioned in said channel closest to the distal end of said insertion section has a circumference smaller than the O-rings positioned in the other channels closer to a proximal end of the insertion section.

29. The weatherproof connector of claim 19, wherein said insertion section is tapered such that a circumference of the distal end of said insertion section is smaller than a circumference of the proximal end of said insertion section.

30. The weatherproof connector of claim 19, wherein the arm comprises a first arm and said protrusion comprises a first protrusion, and wherein said undercut comprises a first undercut, the weatherproof connector further comprising: a second arm positioned on said first connector on an exterior surface thereof, said second arm positioned opposite said first arm, said second arm having a second protrusion at a distal end of said second arm; a second undercut positioned on said second connector on an exterior surface thereof, said second undercut positioned opposite said first undercut; wherein when the first and second connectors are fully seated with each other, the first protrusion interacts with said first undercut and the second protrusion interacts with said second undercut to prevent said first and second connectors from being pulled apart.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] FIG. 1 is a side view of a first connector according to a configuration of the invention.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a top view the first connector according to FIG. 1.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first connector according to FIG. 1.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a side view of a second connector according to a configuration of the invention.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a top view the second connector according to FIG. 4.

[0030] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the second connector according to FIG. 4.

[0031] FIG. 7 is a top view of the first connector of FIG. 1 and second connector of FIG. 4 in a locked position relative to each other.

[0032] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the first and second connectors along line A-A according to FIG. 8.

[0033] FIG. 9 is a side view of the first connector of FIG. 1 and second connector of FIG. 4 in a locked position relative to each other.

[0034] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the first connector of FIG. 1 and second connector of FIG. 4 in a locked position relative to each other.

[0035] FIG. 11 is an end view of the first end of the first connector according to FIG. 1.

[0036] FIG. 12 is an end view of the first end of the second connector according to FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding structure throughout the views.

[0038] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, FIG. 1 is an illustration of a side view of a first connector 100 comprising a body portion 102, an insertion section 104 formed at a distal end 108 of the first connector 100, and a compression connector 106 formed at a proximal end 110 of the first connector 100. FIG. 2 is a top view of the first connector 100, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the first connector 100.

[0039] The body portion 102 is generally cylindrical in shape as can be seen with reference to FIGS. 1-3 and may comprise in one configuration a rigid plastic material. Insertion section 104 is provided with an outer diameter that is smaller than the outer diameter of the body portion 102. The insertion section 104 is provided with a first O-ring 112 that is positioned in a channel 114 extending circumferentially around the exterior surface of the insertion section 104. Also illustrated are a second O-ring 116 sitting in a second channel 118, and a third O-ring 120 sitting in a third channel 122.

[0040] An arm 124, 124 is positioned on the outer surface of the body portion 102. Arm 124, 124 is provided with a protrusion 126, 126 at a distal end 128, 128 of the arm 124, 124 and an area adapted to receive a force at a proximal end 130, 130 of the arm 124, 124. Arm 124, 124 is provided such that if a force is applied to the raised section 128, 128 the arm 124, 124 will pivot about connection point 132, 132 causing the distal end to move outward relative to the insertion section 104.

[0041] Also shown is a raised portion 134, 134 that is formed adjacent to the proximal end 130, 130 of said arm 124, 124. In one configuration, the raised portion 134, 134 is formed with an inclined surface 142, 142. As can be better seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the raised portion 134 may be formed as multiple raised sections 134, 136, 138, 140 where each of them are formed with an inclination relative to the outer surface of the body portion 102. While only a top view is provided, the raised portion 134 may also be provided in the same configuration as raised portion 134 including comprising multiple portions. The raised portions 134, 136, 138, 140 are provided so that the only way to apply a sufficient force to the arm 124 to cause the distal end to displace a significant amount is depress the proximal end 130 below the upper surface of the raised portions 134, 136, 138, 140. This is designed to prevent unintended depression of the arm 124.

[0042] As can be seen in FIG. 1, arms 124, 124 are positioned opposite each other. It will be understood by those of skill in the art that a single raised portion could be used, or four raised portions as shown in the drawings, or any other number depending on the application.

[0043] The proximal end 110 of the first connector comprises compression connector 106, which is formed as a threaded end 144 and a compression portion 146. Compression connector 106 is designed to receive a cable (not shown), which is threaded through proximal end 110 and when the compression portion 146 is screwed down on the threaded end 144, the compression connector secures the cable such that it cannot be pulled out of the compression connector 106.

[0044] As can be seen with reference to FIG. 3, the insertion section 104 comprises and end face 150 that includes a plurality of cavities 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162. The plurality of cavities is provided with a generally circular cross-section, however, cavity 162 is provided as a tombstone shape, which functions as a key to ensure that the first connector 100 can only be connected to a second connector 200 (FIGS. 4-6) in one configuration.

[0045] Referring to FIGS. 4-6, FIG. 4 is an illustration of a side view of a second connector 200 comprising a body portion 202, a cavity 204 formed at a distal end 208 of the second connector 200, and a compression connector 206 formed at a proximal end 210 of the second connector 200. FIG. 5 is a top view of the second connector 200, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the second connector 200.

[0046] As can be seen with reference to FIG. 6, cavity 204 of second connector 200 is designed to receive insertion section 104 of first connector 200. The inner surface of cavity 204 is designed to engage with first O-ring 112, second O-ring 116, and a third O-ring 120 to form a seal preventing water ingress into the interior of the first and second connectors 100, 200 respectively. A plurality of protrusions 252, 254, 256, 258, 260, 262 are positioned within cavity 204 and are configured to align with and correspond to the plurality of cavities 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162 on the insertion section 104. As can be seen in FIG. 6, protrusions 252, 254, 256, 258, 260 are provided with a generally circular cross-section (although any type of cross-section can be used), while protrusion 262 is tombstone-shaped such that the first and second connectors 100, 200 are keyed so that they can only be connected in one configuration.

[0047] Also shown in FIG. 4 is undercut 226, 226 that is formed as a step for engaging with protrusion 126, 126. The second connector 200 is designed such that when the insertion section 104 of first connector 100 is advanced into cavity 204 of second connector 200, the protrusion 126, 126 engages with an outer surface of the second connector 200 such that the distal end of the arm 124, 124 is deflected outward until it advances past undercut 226, 226 at which point the protrusion 126, 126 deflects inward and engages with the undercut 226, 226. In this manner, the first and second connectors 100, 200 are securely held together which can be seen in FIGS. 7-10. For example, FIG. 7 is a top view of first and second connectors 100, 200 in an engaged position, where FIG. 8 is a sectional drawing of first and second connectors 100, 200 along section line A-A of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a side view of first and second connectors 100, 200 in an engaged position and FIG. 10 is a perspective view of first and second connectors 100, 200 in an engaged position.

[0048] The engagement of the protrusion 126, 126 with undercut 226, 226 can be better seen with reference to FIG. 9. As seen, arm 124, 124 is provided at an angle relative to the outer surfaces of the first and second connectors 100, 200 such that the protrusion 226, 226 and the undercut 126, 126 form a highly secure locking mechanism.

[0049] Additionally, since there are two arms positioned opposite each other, this prevents any accidental disconnection of the connectors as a force must be applied to both sides simultaneously and the proximal ends of the arms must be depressed below a top surface of the raised portions.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 6, protrusions 252, 254, 256, 258, 260, 262 are provided with open ends as can be seen with reference to FIG. 6. Each of protrusions 252, 254, 256, 258, 260, 262 are provided with pins positioned within the open ends and can be seen with reference to FIG. 8 showing a cutaway view of the first and second connectors 100, 200 and FIG. 11. The pins are designed to seat into electrically conductive receptacles that are provided in the corresponding plurality of cavities 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162 in insertion section 104 (FIG. 12). In the configuration shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, there will be a total of six pins and six corresponding receptacles. However, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that any number of combination of pins/receptacles can be used depending on the application.

[0051] In one configuration, the pins may be connected to or seated in a flexible material 280 provided on the second connector 200 at a base portion of each pin. The flexible material 280 may allow for some lateral movement of the distal end of the pin without breaking the pins. In one configuration, the flexible material 280 could comprise a molded silicone that provides a seal at the base of each respective pin. In another configuration, the protrusions 252, 254, 256, 258, 260, 262 may extend to flexible material 280 when the first and second connectors 100, 200 are fully seated with respect to each other and the locking mechanism is engaged, thereby forming a seal between the protrusions 252, 254, 256, 258, 260, 262 and the flexible material 280.

[0052] Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, an end view of first connector 100 is shown in FIG. 11 and an end view of second connector 200 is shown in FIG. 12.

[0053] FIG. 11 shows the end face 150 of first connector 100 with the plurality of cavities 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162 in insertion section 104. The plurality of cavities 152, 154, 156, 158, 160, 162 are provided with electrically conductive receptacles 172, 174, 176, 178, 180, 182 respectively.

[0054] FIG. 12 shows cavity 204 of second connector 200 with the plurality of protrusions 252, 254, 256, 258, 260, 262 positioned within cavity 204. The plurality of protrusions 252, 254, 256, 258, 260, 262 have openings in the ends of each protrusion where pins 272, 274, 276, 278, 280, 282 are positioned to interact respectively with the electrically conductive receptacles 172, 174, 176, 178, 180, 182 when the first and second connectors 100, 200 are engaged and fully seated with each other.

[0055] Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular arrangement of parts, features and the like, these are not intended to exhaust all possible arrangements or features, and indeed many other modifications and variations will be ascertainable to those of skill in the art.