BACKGROUND
The present application generally relates to electrical connectors and more specifically to a conduit adapter for an electrical connector.
SUMMARY
Data racks may receive power via a receptacle mounted in a metallic box. The receptacle is electrically connected to the data racks via conductor wire fed into the box through a conduit connected with the box. The receptacle is connected to the conduit by a conduit fitting assembly or adapter. The receptacle is configured to receive a male connector or plug to electrically connect the data racks with a power source. The connection may transmit up to 50 amperes of current to the data racks, although similar connectors may transmit more or less current. For safety, the connection often must be liquid-tight. The conduit is typically a liquid-tight metallic conduit, and is connected with the receptacle via a fitting. The fitting is often liquid-tight to prevent water from entering the box at the connection between the conduit and the box.
Alternatively, the plug may be connected with a female connector including a female connector body connected with a flexible conduit. The connector may selectively receive the plug to electrically connect the data racks with the power source. However, neither the plug nor the female connector includes a fitting assembly for connecting with a liquid-tight flexible metallic conduit.
In one aspect, an electrical connector for securing a conduit including an electrical conductor includes a housing, an electrical contact, and a conduit fitting assembly for securing the conduit relative to the housing. The housing defines a cavity and an aperture in communication with the cavity, and the aperture is configured to receive the conduit. The electrical contact is supported by the housing and configured to be in electrical communication with the electrical conductor. The conduit fitting assembly threadably engages the housing.
In another aspect, an electrical connection assembly includes a male connector, a female connector, and a conduit fitting assembly. The male connector includes a first housing and a blade contact supported by the housing to extend axially from the housing along a first axis. The female connector includes a second housing and a receptacle contact extending axially into the housing along a second axis. The male and female connectors are axially connectable such that the blade contact is received by the receptacle contact and the first and second axes are coaxial. The male and female connectors are relatively rotatable about the first and second axes between an unlocked position in which the male and female connectors may be axially connected and disconnected, and a locked position in which the male connectors are inhibited from axial movement. The conduit fitting assembly connects a conduit to one of the first and second housings. A conductor of the conduit is electrically connected with a corresponding one of the blade contact and the receptacle contact.
In yet another aspect, a method of assembling an electrical connector includes: inserting a ferrule of a conduit fitting assembly into a first portion of a threaded connector of the conduit fitting assembly and an end of a conduit; threading a nut of the conduit fitting assembly on to the second portion of the threaded connector; compressing the end of the conduit onto the ferrule to couple the conduit to the conduit fitting assembly; and coupling a first portion of a threaded connector of the conduit fitting assembly to a housing via an aperture defined in the housing.
Other aspects will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a male connector and a conduit.
FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the connector and the conduit of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the connector of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the connector of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a first end view of the connector of FIG. 3.
FIG. 6 is a second end view of the connector of FIG. 3.
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the connector of FIG. 3.
FIG. 8 is another exploded view of the connector of FIG. 3.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 3 viewed along section 9-9.
FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a male connector according to another embodiment.
FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a conduit fitting assembly.
FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a conduit fitting assembly according to another embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a side view of a female connector according to one embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a side view of the female connector of FIG. 12.
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the female connector of FIG. 12 viewed along section 14-14.
FIG. 14B is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a female connector according to another embodiment.
FIG. 15 is an exploded view of a connector according to another embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 15 viewed along section 16-16.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Before any embodiments are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Use of “consisting of” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings.
FIGS. 1-9 illustrate a connector 10 including a connector housing or body 14 and a conduit adapter or conduit fitting assembly 18. The connector body 14 has a longitudinal axis A (FIG. 3) and is generally cylindrical. The illustrated connector 10 is a plug or male connector, in which the connector body 14 is a plug body or male connector body that is configured to mechanically and electrically connect with a female connector 10b (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 12-14). The connectors 10, 10b are locking type connectors, in which the male and female connectors 10, 10b once connected may be locked to prevent accidental disconnection of the cord ends. In the illustrated embodiment, the connectors 10, 10b are connected axially along the axis A and locked by rotating the male connector body (i.e., plug body) and the female connector body relative to each other about the axis A.
With reference to FIGS. 3, 4 and 7-9, the connector body 14 includes a front housing portion 26, a rear housing portion 30, a front internal portion 34, a rear internal portion 38, and a cylindrical shroud 42. In the illustrated embodiment, the front housing portion 26 includes a cylindrical wall having an outer gripping surface 46 (FIG. 3). Referring to FIG. 9, the front housing portion 26 and the rear housing portion 30 are coupled together and define a cavity 50. The cavity 50 contains the front and rear internal portions 34, 38; in the illustrated embodiment, the front internal portion 34 axially protrudes from the front housing portion 26. A rear wall 54 of the rear housing portion 30 defines a threaded conduit aperture 58 (FIG. 8) extending into the cavity 50. The conduit aperture 58 extends coaxially with the axis A, which is perpendicular to the rear wall 54. The cavity 50 also receives and contains ends of electrical conductors or wires (not shown) fed through the threaded conduit aperture 58. The front and rear housing portions 26, 30 may each be made out of nylon, or another suitable material, to provide impact strength and/or thermal and electrical insulation.
With reference to FIGS. 5 and 9, the front internal portion 34 has a front face 66 defining three blade contact support passages 70 extending axially through the front internal portion 34 to the rear internal portion 38. In the illustrated embodiment, the support passages 70 are circumferentially spaced about an axially extending central passage 74 that is coaxial with the central axis A (FIG. 9). A corresponding electrical blade contact (not shown) is supported in each support passage 70 and extends from the rear internal portion 38 and projects outwardly from the front face 66. In some embodiments, the blade contacts are similar to the blade contacts 78 shown in FIG. 9B, and the shape and position of the blade contacts may be understood based on the shape and position of the support passages 70 in FIGS. 5 and 7. Each blade contact is electrically connected to a corresponding conductor within the rear internal portion 38 in the cavity 50. In some embodiments, there may be fewer or more blade contacts. The front internal portion 34 may be made out of thermoplastic polyester, or another suitable material, to provide heat resistance and/or high impact strength.
With reference to FIGS. 3-5 and 7-9, the shroud 42 is positioned between the front housing portion 26 and the front internal portion 34 and extends around the blade contacts extending from the front internal portion 34. The shroud 42 protects the blade contacts from being accidently damaged or bent. In some embodiments, the shroud defines a pair of locking channels 82 that are “L” shaped, and has a pair of locking detents 86 (FIG. 5) that each project radially inward. The shroud 42 may prevent a user from attempting to connect the connector 10 with an inappropriate electrical device or connector. The shroud 42 may also be capable of receiving a padlock to prevent the connector 10 from being disconnected.
With continued reference to FIGS. 7-9, the front housing portion 26 and the rear housing portion 30 have corresponding threads 94, 98 for selectively coupling the front and rear housing portions 26, 30 together. Accordingly, a user may quickly disconnect the front and rear housing portions 26, 30 to access the cavity 50 for wiring or re-wiring the conductors to the blade contacts. The connector 10 further includes two pivoting latch members 106 received in a pair of bores 108 positioned in the rear housing portion 30 and adjacent the threads 98. In the illustrated embodiment, each bore 108 is oriented radially with respect to the axis A and the bores 108 are spaced 180 degrees apart from one another.
Each latch member 106 includes a raised portion 114 and a recessed portion 118. Each latch member 106 is also adjacent and engages an associate recess 110 positioned along an edge of at least one of the housing portions (e.g., the front housing portion 26). Each latch member 106 is pivotable between a first, locking position, in which the raised portion 114 is received in the recess 110 (see FIG. 3), and a second, unlocking position, in which the recessed portion 118 is received in the recess 110 and the raised portion 114 is not. When at least one of the latch members 106 is in the locking position, the raised portion 114 extends into the recess 110 to prevent the front housing portion 26 from being rotated relative to the rear housing portion 30. When both of the latch members 106 are in the unlocked position, the recessed portions 118 are positioned in the recesses 110, allowing the front housing portion 26 to rotate relative to the rear housing portion 30 to unthread and disconnect the front and rear housing portions 26, 30. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the latch members 106 defines a slot that may receive a standard flat-blade screwdriver in order to rotate the latch members 106.
With reference to FIGS. 1-2 and 9, the conduit fitting assembly 18 mechanically connects a conduit 130 to the connector body 14. The conduit fitting assembly 18 is coupled to the rear housing portion 30 via the conduit aperture 58 defined therein. In some embodiments, the conduit 130 includes a cover or sheath enclosing conducting wires or conductors (see e.g., FIG. 14) that pass into the rear housing portion 30 through the conduit fitting assembly 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the conduit 130 is a liquid-tight flexible metallic conduit. The conduit 130 includes a waterproof plastic coating to inhibit liquid entering the conduit 130 and contacting the conductors. The conduit fitting assembly 18 provides a liquid-tight connection between the connector body 14 and the conduit 130. In other embodiments, the conduit 130 is a flexible conduit, a flexible metallic conduit, or another suitable conduit (e.g., rigid or flexible metallic conduit, or rigid or flexible plastic conduit).
With reference to FIG. 10, the conduit fitting assembly 18 includes a nut 138, a split gland-ring 142, a ferrule 146, a hollow threaded connecting member 150, a gasket 154, and a locknut 158. The threaded connecting member 150 includes a central flange 162, and first and second threaded portions 166, 170 each extending axially from opposite sides of the central flange 162. The threaded connecting member 150 defines a bore passing axially therethrough. In the illustrated embodiment, the first threaded portion 166 has a first diameter and the second threaded portion 170 has a second, smaller diameter. The ferrule 146 has first and second ends 178, 182 and a bore passing axially therethrough. The second end 182 of the ferrule 146 is sized to be received within the first threaded portion 166 of the threaded connecting member 150. The first end 178 of the ferrule 146 is sized to be received within the end of the conduit 130 and is sealed from liquid by the gland-ring 142, which compresses the conduit 130 onto the ferrule 146 via the nut 138.
The nut 138 has cavity threads corresponding to threads on the first threaded portion 166 of the threaded connecting member 150. In the illustrated embodiment, the nut 138 has a hexagonal outer profile that may be rotatable manually or by a standard wrench. In some embodiments, the nut 138 may have a gripping profile conducive to manually tightening the nut 138, such as the compression nut 138a illustrated in FIG. 11. In the illustrated embodiment, the nut 138, the ferrule 146, the threaded connecting member 150, and the locknut 158 are made of steel, and the gland-ring 142 and the gasket 154 are made of nylon. In some embodiments, the nut 138, the ferrule 146, the threaded connecting member 150, and the locknut 158 may be made of another suitable material, such as plastic (e.g., nylon). In some embodiments, the gland-ring 142 and the gasket 154 may each be made of another suitable material.
The second threaded portion 170 of the threaded connecting member 150 has threads corresponding to threads of the conduit aperture 58 in the rear housing portion 30. As best illustrated in FIG. 9, the rear housing portion 30 is clamped between the central flange 162 and the locknut 158, which is received within the cavity 50 and threaded onto the second threaded portion 170 of the threaded connecting member 150 to secure the threaded connecting member 150 to the rear housing portion 30. The gasket 154 is positioned between the locknut 158 and the rear housing portion 30 to provide a liquid-tight seal at this connection. In some embodiments, the gasket 154 or an additional gasket may be positioned between the rear wall 54 and the central flange 162.
In some embodiments, the conduit fitting assembly 18 may be a non-metallic conduit fitting assembly 18a, as shown in FIG. 11. The fitting assembly 18a is substantially similar to the conduit fitting assembly 18 shown in FIG. 10. Accordingly, similar features are identified with like reference numerals plus “a” and only differences are described in detail below. The primary difference is that the components of the fitting assembly 18a are each made of plastic (e.g., the nut 138a and the locknut 158a of FIG. 14 are each made of nylon instead of steel). In the illustrated embodiment, the ferrule 146a also provides an integral conduit seal 190 in addition to, or in lieu of, the gland-ring 142. The conduit seal 190 includes a plurality of teeth, and when the nut 138a is threaded onto first threaded portion 166a the nut 138a compresses the teeth radially inward to compress and grip the conduit 13a. In addition, the threaded connecting member 150a of the non-metallic fitting assembly 18a includes a two-piece swivel body 194 connecting the first and second threaded portions 166a, 170a. The swivel body allows the first and second threaded portions 166a, 170a to be pivotal between a first, 0 degree position in which the first and second threaded portions 166a, 170a are coaxially aligned, and a second, 90 degree position in which the first and second threaded portions 166a, 170a are perpendicular.
The connector 10 may be coupled with a female connector 10b (FIG. 12), or may be coupled to a conventional mating connector. Instead of a cord clamp mechanism that includes clamps or jaws for gripping a conduit,
FIGS. 12-14 illustrates a female connector 10b including a female connector body 14b. The female connector 10b is substantially similar to the male connector 10 of FIGS. 1-9. Accordingly, similar features are identified with similar reference numerals plus “b” and only differences are described in detail below.
As shown in FIG. 14, front and rear internal portions 34b, 38b include receptacle passages 218b for supporting receptacle contacts 214 (FIG. 14B) that electrically connect with the blade contacts of a male connector 10. The receptacle passages 218b extend through the front face 66b of the front internal portion 34b corresponding to and sized to receive blade contacts. In some embodiments, the receptacle contacts 214 can include at least one leaf spring member biased to clamp the blade contacts 78 (FIG. 9B) received within the receptacle passages 218.
Similar to the blade contacts of the male connector 10, conductors fed into the cavity 50b of the female connector 10b are electrically connected to the receptacle contacts. Accordingly, when the male connector 10 is axially connected to the female connector 10b such that the blade contacts are received in the receptacle passages 218, the conductors of the male and female connectors 10, 10b are electrically connected. Also, in some embodiments a central projection 222 (FIG. 14B) protrudes axially from the front face 66b of the front internal portion 34b and is received within the central passage 74 of the male connector 10 when the male and female connectors 10, 10b are connected.
As shown in FIG. 12, the front internal portion 34b includes a pair of locking channels 82b. In the illustrated embodiment, each channel 82b has an “L” shape. Each locking channel 82b corresponds to one of the locking detents 86 (FIG. 5) of the male connector 10. The front internal portion 34b also has a pair of locking detents 86b extending radially outward from the front internal portion 34b. Each locking detent 86b corresponds to one of the locking channels 82 (FIG. 5) of the male connector 10. The receptacle passages 218 (FIG. 14) and the blade contacts are configured such that the male and female connectors 10, 10b may be rotated relative to one another about the central axes A of the connectors (which are coaxial when connected) from an unlocked position into a locked position.
In the locked position, the detents 86 are received within laterally extending portions of the associated locking channels 82b, and the detents 86b are received in laterally extending portions of the associated locking channels 82. Stated another way, each laterally extending portion is oriented in a plane that is oriented at an oblique angle (e.g., perpendicular) to the axes A such that the male and female connectors 10, 10b are secured from axially movement and disconnection. In the unlocked position, the detents 86 are positioned in axially extending portions of the locking channels 82b and the detents 86b are positioned in axially extending portions of the locking channels 82. In the unlocked position, the detents 86, 86b are permitted to slide axially within portions of the locking channels 82, 82b parallel to the axes A and the male and female connectors 10, 10b may be axially connected and disconnected freely. The locking detents 86, 86b and the locking channels 82, 82b of the male and female connectors 10, 10b provide a bayonet-style connection to secure the male and female connectors 10, 10b together from axial disconnection. In combination, the male and female connectors 10, 10b are an electrical connection assembly for connecting electrical devices (e.g., data racks with a power source).
Instead of a cord clamp assembly, the connector body 14b includes a conduit fitting assembly 18b for connecting a liquid-tight flexible metallic conduit to the connector body 14b similar the male connector 10 of FIGS. 1-9.
Although the plug or male connector 10 and the female connector 10b are each described and illustrated as being connectable with each other, each of the connectors 10, 10b may also be electrically and mechanically connectable with a receptacle assembly (not shown) including a box and mounting plate.
During assembly of the connector 10, the conduit 130 is coupled to the rear housing portion 30 by the conduit fitting assembly 18. Specifically, a nut 138 is fed onto the free end of the conduit 130. The first end 178 of the ferrule 146 is inserted into the end of the conduit 130, and the second end 182 of the ferrule 146 is inserted into the first threaded portion 166 of the threaded connecting member 150. The nut 138 is then threaded on to the first threaded portion 166 of the threaded connecting member 150 compressing the gland-ring 142 on to the conduit 130 to compress the conduit 130 on the first end 178 of the ferrule 146. The second threaded portion 170 of the threaded connecting member 150 is threaded into the thread conduit aperture 58 of the rear housing portion 30. This may be prior to or after the first threaded portion 166 is threaded into the nut 138. The gasket 154 is then positioned on the second threaded portion 170 of the threaded connecting member 150 and clamped between the rear wall 54 of the rear housing portion 30 around the conduit aperture 58 and the locknut 158 threaded onto the second threaded portion 170. Assembly of the connector 10 using the conduit fitting assembly 18a of FIG. 11 is substantially similar to that described above.
The conductor wires are fed through the conduit 130 and out the conduit fitting assembly 18 into the cavity 50. An end of the sheath 132 (FIG. 14) of the conduit 130 may be positioned in an annular slot 134 of the conduit fitting assembly 18. The ends of the conductor wires may be directly wired (i.e., electrically connected) to the blade contacts supported by the front and rear internal portions 34, 38. The shroud 42 and the front and rear internal portions 34, 38 supporting the blade contacts are then inserted into the front housing portion 26, such that the blade contacts extend outwardly from the front face 66 parallel to the axis A.
To close the cavity 50 of the connector 10 for use, the front housing portion 26 and the rear housing portion 30 are coupled together. Specifically, while each of the latch members 106 are in the unlocking position, the front housing portion 26 is threaded onto the rear housing portion 30. When the recesses 110 in the front housing portion 26 are adjacent the latch members 106, the latch members 106 are pivoted into the locking position to secure the front housing portion 26 to the rear housing portion 30. To open the connector 10 for rewiring or repairs, the latch members 106 are pivoted into the unlocking position, and then the front housing portion 26 and the rear housing portion 30 are unthreaded from one another.
Assembly of a female connector 10b with a conduit fitting assembly similar to the conduit fitting assembly 18 of FIGS. 1-9 is substantially similar to the assembly process for the male connector 10 described above.
Once assembled, the male connector 10 and the female connector 10b can be connected by axially aligning the blade contacts of the male connector 10 with the corresponding receptacle passages 218 of the female connector 10b. The male and female connectors 10, 10b are then axially connected by inserting the corresponding blade contacts into the receptacle passages 218, and the central projection can extend into the central passage 74, such that the front internal portion 34 of the female connector 10b is received within the shroud 42. The locking detents 86, 86b of the male and female connectors 10, 10b are axially received in the corresponding locking channels 82, 82b of the male and female connectors 10, 10b, while in the unlocked position. Once connected, the connectors 10, 10b may be rotated or twisted about the axis A relative to each other into the locked position to secure the male and female connectors 10, 10b from axial disconnection. While connected, the blade contacts 78 are received by the receptacle contacts 214 to form an electrical connection between the conductors of the male connector 10 and the female connector 10b, thereby electrically connecting corresponding electrical devices. The same connection process is utilized when connecting either of the male or female connectors 10, 10b with a corresponding receptacle assembly 238.
In general, a locking connector is provided including a conduit fitting assembly for connecting a liquid-tight conduit to the locking connector. The connector is adapted to connect the liquid-tight conduit and provide advantages over a receptacle assembly. For example, there are fewer components involved in making the connector with the conduit fitting assembly than a corresponding receptacle assembly. There is also more consistency between components of the male and female connectors, so that entirely different parts do not need to be made for the receptacle and the plug.
FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate a connector according to another embodiment. The connector 410 is similar to the connector 10b discussed above, and similar features are identified with similar reference numbers, plus 400. The connector 410 includes a sleeve 412 positioned within a rear housing portion 430. The sleeve 412 includes a pair of slots 416, each of which is aligned with the bores 508 of the rear housing portion 430. Each latch member 506 is positioned to extend through an associated one of the slots 416, an associated one of the bores 508, and an opening in the front housing portion 426. Among other things, the latch members 506 secure the sleeve 412 within the rear housing portion 430. When the connector 410 is assembled and tightened, an end of the sleeve 412 contacts and presses against the end of a rear internal portion 438, thereby securing the internal portions 434, 438 of the connector 410 against movement toward the rearward end. Although the connector of FIGS. 15 and 16 is illustrated as a male connector, it is understood that the sleeve 412 could be incorporated in a similar manner in a female connector (e.g., connector 10b).
Although aspects have been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of one or more independent aspects as described. Various features and advantages are set forth in the following claims.
Patent Application
20180175544
