Electrical connector having sealed snap-in locking cavity plugs

[0002] This invention relates generally to electrical connectors having mating male and female connector bodies, and more particularly to the manner of sealing unoccupied terminal cavities of the connectors.

[0003] Electrical connector assemblies of the type involved with the present invention include male and female connector bodies, each mounted to the ends of a plurality of electrical cables having mating terminals supported within passages of the respective connector bodies that, when the male and female connectors are joined, provide an electrical connection between the cooperating cables. The passages typically are formed with resilient lock arms that engage cooperating catches on the associated terminals to secure the terminals within the passages.

[0004] In some connector applications, it is desirable to seal the connector assembly to protect the terminals from exposure to the external environment. The connector bodies are each formed with a plurality of passages that extend into the connector bodies from the cable end in which the cables and their terminals are received. In a sealed connector application, a seal is provided about the cable that, when installed in the corresponding passage, serves to seal such passage from the outside environment. In some applications, not every passage is occupied by a corresponding cable. There may be, for example, an unequal number of cables occupying the passages of the respective male and female connector bodies. The male connector body may have four cables occupying four of its passages whereas the female cavity may only have two or three of its four passages occupied. In a sealed connector environment, it is necessary to seal the unoccupied cavity or cavities in order to protect the interior of the connector from exposure to the external atmosphere. The present known practice for sealing the unoccupied passages is to install a resiliently compressible elastomeric plug into the unoccupied passage or passages which relies for sealing and retention on a friction fit with the walls of the passages in which they are installed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a more secure means of sealing such unoccupied passages.

[0005] An electrical connector assembly constructed according to the invention includes male and female connector members having mateable plug and socket end portions, respectively. Each is formed with a plurality of locking cavities extending into the connector members from opposite cable ends thereof. A locking retainer is provided in each of the cavities. A plurality of electrical cables extend into less than all of the locking cavities such that at least one of the locking cavities is unoccupied . The cables have terminal ends that are formed with catches that engage the mating locking retainers of the cavities in which they are installed to lock the cables against removal. The terminal ends of the female connector member mate with at least some of the terminal ends of the male connector members when the connector members are fully assembled to establish an electrical connection therebetween. The cables are provided with annular seals that engage the walls of the cavities in which the cables are installed to seal such cavities.

[0006] According to a characterizing feature of the invention, the assembly includes at least one non-electrical cavity plug disposed in the unoccupied locking cavity. The plug has a seal that is operative to seal the unoccupied cavity and a catch that engages the locking retainer of the unoccupied cavity to secure the plug against removal therefrom.

[0007] The present invention has the advantage of providing a locking plug having a catch which engages the locking retainer of the unoccupied cavity in which it is installed to positively lock the plug against inadvertent removal from the cavity. Such a plug does not rely solely on a friction fit within the locking cavity for retention, but takes advantage of the locking retainer already provided for locking the electrical terminals as a means of positively securing the locking plug within the unoccupied cavity.

[0008] A presently preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the following description and in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates an enlarged fragmentary exploded perspective view of an electrical connector assembly having locking cavity plugs constructed according to the invention;

[0010] FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along lines 2—2 of FIG. 1; and

[0011] FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken along line 3—3 of FIG. 2.

[0012] An electrical connector apparatus constructed according to a presently preferred embodiment of the invention is shown generally at 10 in the drawings, and comprises a male connector member 12 and a mating female connector member 14. The connector members 12, 14 are molded of a rigid plastics material. The male connector 12 is formed with a plug end 16 and the female connector 14 is formed with a cooperating socket end 18 into which the plug end 16 is inserted for assembling the connectors 12, 14, as shown in the drawings. A lock arm 20 of the female connector 14 engages a locking projection 22 provided on the male connector 12 for securing the connectors 12, 14 in the fully assembled condition.

[0013] The male connector 12 is formed with a plurality of locking passages or cavities 24 extending longitudinally into the male connector 12 from an opposite cable end 26 of the male connector. The locking cavities 24 include a generally cylindrical sealing wall portion 28 adjacent the cable end 26 and a locking retainer in the preferred form of a resilient lock arm 30 projecting into each cavity 24 from a wall thereof and extending in cantilevered fashion toward the socket end. The lock arm 30 has a locking projection 32 defining a lock shoulder 34 adjacent the free end of the lock arm 30. The locking cavities 24 are preferably identical in construction.

[0014] The female connector 14 is formed with a plurality of locking cavities 36, all of identical construction, extending into the female connector 14 from an opposite cable end 38 thereof, and aligned coaxially with the locking cavities 24 of the male connector 12. The female locking cavities 36 likewise include cylindrical sealing walls 40 adjacent the cable end 38 and a locking retainer in the preferred form of a lock arm 42 of the same construction as the lock arm 30, including the provision of a locking projection 43 adjacent its free end presenting a lock shoulder 44.

[0015] A plurality of electrical cables 46 occupy at least some of the locking cavities 24 of the male connector 12, and another plurality of cables 48 occupy at lease some of the locking cavities 36 of the female connector 14. The cables 46, 48 extend into their respective cavities 24, 36 through the open cable end 26, 38 thereof, and have terminal ends 50, 52 disposed within the connectors 12, 14, at least some of which mate when the connectors 12, 14 are joined to establish an electrical connection between the mating cables 46, 48. The terminal ends 50 of the male cables 46 have elongated blades 54 that project beyond the cavities 24 of the male connector 12 into the cavities 36 of the female connector 14 in overlapping relation to the terminal ends 52 of the female cables 48. The terminal ends 52 of the female cables 48 are formed with receptacle portions 56 which wrap around and frictionally engage the blades 54 to establish metal-to-metal electrical contact therebetween. It will be seen that the terminal ends 52 of the female cables 48 are contained within the locking cavities 36 of the female connector 14 and as such do not project into the locking cavities 24 of the male connector 12.

[0016] The terminal ends 50, 52 are formed with catches 58, 60, respectively, that, when the terminal ends 50, 52 are fully inserted into the locking cavities 24, 36, engage the lock arms 20, 30 to secure the cables 46, 48 against removal from the locking cavities 24, 36. As the terminal ends 50, 52 are extended into the locking cavities 24, 36, the leading end or head of the terminal ends 50, 52 engage the ramped side of the locking projections 32, 43, deflecting the lock arms 30, 42 laterally outwardly, until such time as the projections 32, 43 drop into a recess or detent defining the catches 58, 60. The catches 58, 60 present locking shoulders 62, 64 that confront the locking shoulders 34,44 of the lock arms 30, 42 to secure the terminal ends 50, 52 of the cables 46, 48 from withdrawal from the locking cavities 24, 36.

[0017] Each of the cables 46, 48 is provided with a seal 66 in the preferred form of an annular sleeve having at least one and preferably a plurality of annular ribs or lips 68 engaging the cylindrical walls 28, 40 of the locking cavities 24, 36 to seal the cavities 24, 36 from exposure to the external atmosphere in order to prevent moisture, dirt, and other contaminants from injuring the connector assembly 10.

[0018] The connector assembly thus far described is conventional, and is representative of the typical sealed electrical connector wherein the terminal ends 50, 52 of the cables 46, 48 lock within the cavities and seal the cavities from the outside atmosphere. In many applications, less than all of the locking cavities 24, 36 are occupied by such cables 46, 48. In sealed connector applications, the unoccupied cavity or cavities must nonetheless be sealed to maintain a sealed environment within the connector assembly 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the male connector member 12 has one cavity that is unoccupied by a cable, and is designated 24_uin FIGS. 1 and 3. The female connector 14 also has one of its cavities unoccupied by a cable, designated at 36_uin FIGS. 1 and 2. In each case, the cavity of the other connector aligned with the unoccupied cavities 24_u, 36_uis occupied by either a female 52 or male 50 terminal end, respectively, which is not electrically active, but nonetheless supported by the connector assembly 10.

[0019] According to the invention, locking plugs 70, 72 are provided and installed in the unoccupied locking cavities 24_u, 36_uof the male and female connectors 12, 14, respectively. The locking plugs 70, 72 have elongate, rigid plastic bodies 74, 76 formed with catches 78, 80 adjacent their leading ends, and seals 82 adjacent their trailing ends. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the leading end of the male locking plug 70 has an enlarged, preferably conical head 86 that, when extended into the unoccupied cavity 24_uconfronts the locking projection 32 upon installation. As the head 86 passes across the projection 32, it deflects the projection 32 first outwardly and then allows it to return inwardly where the projection 32 drops into a reduced diameter section 88 behind the head 86, bringing the lock shoulder 34 of the projection 32 into confronting engagement with an annular outer shoulder 90 of the head 86 to provide the catch 78. Such engagement of the shoulders 34, 90 locks the plug 70 within the unoccupied cavity 24_uin much the same way as the terminal ends 50 are secured. The conical configuration of the head 86 and the annular configuration of the shoulder 90 enables the plug 70 to be installed and engaged by the lock arm 30 regardless of the rotational orientation of the plug 70 relative to the cavity 24_u. The seal 82 preferably comprises an annular sleeve disposed about the body 74 and the plug 70 sealingly engaging the cylindrical wall 28 of the unoccupied cavity 24_u. The seal 82 preferably is of identical construction to the seals 66 of the cables 46, 48, and thus includes at least one, and preferably a plurality of radial outer ribs or lips 91 that engage and seal the wall 28 and thus close the unoccupied cavity 24_u. The seal 82 is fabricated of a resiliently compressible plastics material different than that used for the rigid plastics plug body 74. The seal 82 is preferably annular and thus permits installation of the locking plug 70 without regard to rotational orientation to achieve both locking and sealing within the unoccupied cavity 24_u.

[0020] It will be seen from FIG. 3 that the head 86 of the locking plug 70 is accommodated within the cavity 24_uwithout interference from the companion female terminal end 52 of the axially adjacent occupied cavity 36 of the female connector 14.

[0021] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, the female locking plug 72 disposed in the unoccupied cavity 36_uof the female connector 14 is preferably of identical construction to that of the locking plug 70 except for the construction of the locking head 92 and catch 80. Instead of the head 90 having a conical configuration that occupies and blocks the full width of the cavity opening, the locking head 92 of the female plug 72 has preferably a flat, blade-like configuration having a thickness dimensioned to leave sufficient space between the blade-like locking head 92 and an opposing wall 94 of the cavity 36_uto accommodate the extension of the male terminal blade 54 of the companion male connector 12 within the unoccupied female cavity 36_uin overlapping relation to the paddle-like locking head 92. The locking head 92 has a catch-defining opening 96 closed at the leading end of the head 92 by a crossbar 98 which ramps up and over the locking projection 43 of the lock arm 42 for receiving the projection 43 into the opening 96. The shoulder 44 of the lock arm 42 confronts a corresponding shoulder 100 of the crossbar 98 to lock the plug 72 within the unoccupied cavity 36_u. The seal 84 is identical to the seal 82 and function in the same manner.

[0022] The invention thus provides a means of sealing the unoccupied cavities of male and female connector members 12, 14 by means of locking plugs 70, 72 formed with catches 78, 80 that engage the pre-existing lock arms 30, 42 of the cavities 24_u, 36_uto lock the plugs 70, 72 against removal from the cavities 24_u, 36_u, ensuring that the connector assembly 30 remains weather-tight during the full service life.

[0023] The disclosed embodiments are representative of presently preferred forms of the invention, but are intended to be illustrative rather than definitive thereof. The invention is defined in the claims.