Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This inven~ion relates to an electrical connec~or housing
and a connector including such housing.
More particularly this invention relates to a housing for
an electrical connector for terminating an insulated electrical
conductor which in use carries a low current at a high voltage,
for example a conductor of 20 gauge wire haviny an insulating
jacket of plastics material with an outside diameter of 0.08
inches. Such a conductor is capable of carrying a low current
at a voltage of lOKV.
A connector for terminating such a conductor should
preferably be of small size and have the minimum number of parts
for ease of assembly to the conductor. The connector should
also be such as to eliminate voltage leakage from the connector,
and be capable of positive attachment to and retention on the
conductor.
According to this.invention there is provided an elec-
trical connector housing comprising a tubular body of relatively
rigid electrically insulating material; a tubular sealing member
of relatively resilient electrically insulating material having
a portion at one end adapted to be received in an end portion of
the body, and having a bore to receive an end portion of an
insulated electrical conductor, the sealing member having an
integrally formed web extending across the bore and adapted to
be stretched elastically to an elongate sleeve form embracing .
the insulation of an insulated conductor when inserted into the
bore; and a metal sleeve adapted to be secured about the body
and sealing member across the junction therebetween thereby to
secure the body and sealing member together on an insulated
conductor.
The housing of the invention has the advantages that it
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is basically formed of only three parts,which can be easily
assembled together on an insulated conductor having a contact
connected thereto in a substantially gas~tight, sealed manner
to provide a connector capable of carrying high voltages.
This invention will now be described by way of example
with reference to the drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is an exploded longitudinal sectional view of
a housing according to the invention;
Figure lA is a sectional view of an alternative seal
for the housing of Figure l;
~igure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the housing
of Figure 1 assembled to a shielded insulated conductor having
a male contact connected thereto;
~igure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but of another
housing according to the invention asse~bled to a shielded, in-
sulated conductor having a female contact connect~d thereto,
the connector of Figure 3 being for mating with that of Figure
2; and
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of part of the connector
of Figure 2.
The housing shown in Figure 1 comprises a tubular body
1 moulded from relatively rigid electrically insulating plastics
material, a tubular sealing member-2 of relatively resilient
elastomeric electrically insulating material, a metal sleeve 3,
a metal ferrule 4, and an annular seal 5 of resilient electricall~
insulating material~ -
The sealing member 2 has a portion 6 at one end adapted
to be received in an end portion 7 of the body 1, and has a bore
8 to receive an end portion of an insulated electrical conductor
100 having a male contact 101 crimped to the end thereof.
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The one end portion 6 of the sealing member 2 is formed
with a plurality of external circumferential ribs 9 which are
compressed on insertion of the portion 6 into the end portion
7 of the body 1 thereby to provide a sealed junction between
the body 1 and sealing member 2. The sealing member 2 also has
an outwardly directed circumferential flange 10 arranged to
engage the end of the body 1 on insertion of the end portion 6
of the sealing member 2 into the end portion 7 of the body 1
thereby to limit such insertion.
The bore 8 at the free end of the end portion 6 of the
sealing member 2 has an outwardly tapering mouth portion 11
which is received over a frusto-conical projection 12 in the
end portion 7 of the body 1 thereby to enhance the seal between
the body 1 and the sealing member 2.
The end portion 7 of the body 1 is separated from the
other end portion 13 thereof by an apertured intermediate wall
14 which carries the projection 12. The wall 14 serves as a
stop for the male contact 101, with a mating portion of the
contact 101 extending through the aperture 15 in the wall 14,
the remainder of the contact 101 being received in and thus
supported by the projection 12 (see Figures 2 and 4).
The metal sleeve 3 is adapted to-be secured about the
body 1 and sealing member 2 across the junction therebetween
. thereby to secure the body 1 and sealing member together on the
conductor 100. To this end the metal sleeve 3 has a first por-
tion 16 of relatively large internal diameter a second inter-
mediate portion 17 of the intermediate internal diameter, and
a third portion 18 of relatively small internal diameter.
As shown in Figure 2, the junction between the portions
16 and 17 provides a shoulder 19 which engages the flange 10 on
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the sealing member 2, while the free end of the portion 15 is
deformed into an external circumferential groove 20 in the body
1, the body 1 and sealing member 2 thus being secured together.
The portion 18 of the sleeve 3 extends beyond the free
end of the sealing member 2, and is received between the in-
sulation of the conductor 100 and a shielding layer 102 thereof,
whereafter the ferrule 4 is crimped about the portion 18 thereby
to trap the shielding 102 between the end portion 18 of the
sleeve 3, and the ferrule 4, thereby securing the housing to
the conductor 100. The end portion 18 of the sleeve 3 has a
plurality of external circumferential ribs 21 thereon to enhance
the connection between the shielding 102 and the sleeve 3. The
ferrule 4 extends beyond the free end of the sleeve 3 to embrace
the conductor 100 thus enhancing the connection.
The annular seal S is, as shown in Figure 2, received in
the end portion 13 of the body 1 about the mating portion of
the contact 101, which extends through the aperture 15 in the
wall 14, and comprises an outer annular part 22 adapted to engage
the inner surface of the end portion 1-3 of the body 1, on inner
annular part 23 adapted to embrace the contact mating portion,
and a wall 24 at the inner end of the seal 5 and formed integ-
rally with the outer and inner parts 22 and 23.
Figure lA shows an alternative form of annular seal in
the form of a simple resilient 0-ring 5A of electrically insu-
lating material.
As clearly shown in Figure 1, the sealing member 2 has
an integrally formed web 25 extending across the bore 8 and
positioned in line with the flange 10 axially of the sealing
member 2. The web 25 is adapted to be stretched elastically ~o
an elongate sleeve form ~Figures 2, 3 and 4) embracing the
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insulation of the conductor 100 when inserted into the bore 8
thereby to provide a substantially gas-tight seal between the
sealing member 2 and the conductor 100. The web 25 when in
sleeve form also serves to resist withdrawai of the conductor
100 from the sealing member 2 and thus serves to secure the
housing on the conductor 100. The web 25 has a small central
hole 26 therein to ensure that the web is stretched into a
satisfactory sleeve form.
Referring now to Figure 3, parts of the connector here
shown the same as parts of the connector of Figures 1 and 2 have
the same references.
The connector of Figure 3 is for mating with the conn-
ector of Figure 2, and to this end includes a female contact
lOlA connected to the conductor 100. The end portion 13 of the
body 1 is formed to be received in the end portion 13 of the
connector of Figure 2, and also to embrace the female contact
lOlA. The mating portion of the male contact 101 enters the
portion 13 of the body 1 of the connector of Figure 3 through
a hole 27 at the free end thereof, to be received in the female
contact lOlA.
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of part of the connector
of Figure 2, clearly showing the sleeve form of the web 25 after
insertion of the conductor 100 to form a substantially gas-tight
seal between the sealing member 2 and the conductor 1, and also
the compression of the ribs 9 of the sealing member 2 against
the inner surface of the end portion 7 of the body 1 to form a
substantially gas-tight seal between the body 1 and the sealing
member 2. The end portion 6 of the sealing member 2 is held in
radial compression between the body 1 and the conductor 100 the
compression being maintained by the securing together of the
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body 1 and sealing member 2 by the metal sleeve 3. As shown in
Figure 4, the sealing men~er 2 also effectively seals the space
between the contact 101 and the end of the conductor 100. The
sealed form of the assembled connector eliminates voltage leak-
age paths which might otherwise be present between the parts of
the connector due to manufacturing tolerances.
