Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6179658
-
Patent Number
6,179,658
-
Date Filed
Monday, July 26, 199925 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, January 30, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Bradley; Paula
- Nguyen; Truc
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 439 519
- 439 587
- 439 936
- 439 588
- 439 271
- 439 274
- 439 275
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A sealing arrangement (10) between an electrical connector (12) and an electrical conductor (14), such as an FPC, in which the electrical conductor extends through an aperture (18) in a housing (16) of the electrical connector, the sealing arrangement being positioned adjacent the aperture and comprising a flap member (22) which is pivotally mounted and movable between an open position and a closed position, the flap member being positioned on one side of the electrical conductor; a wall (20) positioned on the opposite side of the electrical conductor to the flap member; and a compressible seal (24) positioned around the electrical conductor; wherein, in the closed position of the flap member, the flap member, the wall and the electrical conductor lie in planes which are substantially parallel; and the seal is compressed between the flap member and the wall and partially extruded into the aperture. Easy assembly.FIG. 2 to accompany the abstract.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a sealing arrangement between an electrical connector and an electrical conductor, and in particular to a sealing arrangement between an electrical connector and a substantially flat electrical conductor (such as a flexible print circuit).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In order to electrically connect a flexible printed circuit (FPC) to another FPC or to an electrical component, it is necessary to secure a electrical connector to the FPC. In such an arrangement, the FPC passes through an aperture in the housing of the electrical connector. To provide a substantially watertight seal between the FPC and the housing, the housing or part of the housing is moulded around the FPC or the FPC is secured to the housing by hot-melt adhesive. These known arrangements have disadvantages in terms of assembly or processing time, and temperature stresses on the FPC.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages.
A sealing arrangement in accordance with the present invention between an electrical connector and an electrical conductor in which the electrical conductor extends through an aperture in a housing of the electrical connector, the sealing arrangement being positioned adjacent the aperture and comprising a flap member which is pivotally mounted and movable between an open position and a closed position, the flap member being positioned on one side of the electrical conductor; a wall positioned on the opposite side of the electrical conductor to the flap member; and a compressible seal positioned around the electrical conductor; wherein, in the closed position of the flap member, the flap member, the wall and the electrical conductor lie in planes which are substantially parallel; and the seal is compressed between the flap member and the wall and partially extruded into the aperture.
Compared to previously known arrangements, the present invention provides a sealing arrangement which is quicker and easier to assemble, and which does not subject the electrical connector to temperature stresses.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
is a cross-sectional view of a sealing arrangement in accordance with the present invention prior to installation;
FIG. 2
is a cross-sectional view of the sealing arrangement of
FIG. 1
after installation;
FIG. 3
is a perspective view of the sealing arrangement of
FIG. 1
with the seal omitted for clarity;
FIG. 4
is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of sealing arrangement in accordance with the present invention prior to installation;
FIG. 5
is a cross-sectional view of the sealing arrangement of
FIG. 3
after installation;
FIG. 6
is a perspective view of a third embodiment of sealing arrangement in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 7
is a perspective view of the sealing arrangement of
FIG. 6
from the reverse side; and
FIG. 8
is a perspective view of the seal clamping device of the sealing arrangement shown in
FIGS. 6 and 7
.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIGS. 1
to
3
show a first embodiment of sealing arrangement
10
, in accordance with the present invention, between an electrical connector
12
and an electrical conductor
14
. The electrical conductor
14
is a flexible printed circuit (FPC). The electrical connector
12
is a female electrical connector and comprises a housing
16
with an aperture
18
. The FPC
14
passes through the aperture
18
and is electrically connected with one or more terminals (not shown) positioned inside the housing
16
. The sealing arrangement
10
comprises a wall
20
integral with the housing
16
and which extends away from one side of the aperture
18
; a flap member
22
pivotally attached to the housing on the other side of the aperture; and a compressible seal
24
which substantially surrounds the FPC
14
adjacent the aperture. The seal
24
is preferably preformed as best shown in FIG.
1
. The flap member
22
is movable between an open position as shown in
FIG. 1 and a
closed position as shown in FIG.
2
. In the closed position, the wall
20
, flap member
22
, and FPC
14
lie in planes which are substantially parallel. The FPC
14
is inserted through the aperture
18
when the flap member
22
is in the open position. The seal
24
may be positioned adjacent the aperture
18
either prior to or after insertion of the FPC
14
through the aperture. The flap member
22
is then moved to the closed position. In the closed position, the seal
24
is compressed between the wall
20
and the flap member
22
and partially extruded into the aperture
18
to form a substantially fluid tight seal with the FPC
14
and with the housing
16
. The flap member
22
is retained in the closed position by tabs
26
on the flap member which make a snap fit behind corresponding shoulders
28
formed on the wall
20
. The flap member
22
preferably has a shoulder
30
formed at its free edge, and the wall
20
preferably has a similar shoulder
32
at its free edge, to reduce the risk of extrusion of the seal
24
away from the aperture
18
. The seal
24
is of a predetermined size to ensure that the seal is compressed on moving the flap member
22
to the closed position. The seal
24
is preferably formed from silicone gel. The seal
24
may be formed in one piece and be substantially annular, with the FPC
14
passing through the seal during insertion of the FPC through the aperture
18
. Alternatively, the seal
24
may be formed in two parts, with one part secured to the flap member
22
prior to compression, and the other part secured to the wall
20
prior to compression.
FIGS. 4 and 5
show a second embodiment of sealing arrangement
100
in accordance with the present invention. As with the above described first embodiment, the sealing arrangement
100
provides a seal between an electrical connector
112
and an FPC
114
. The electrical connector
112
comprises a housing
116
with an aperture
118
, and the FPC
114
extends through the aperture. In the second embodiment, when compared to the first embodiment, the wall is replaced by a second flap member
120
. The sealing arrangement
100
comprises a first flap member
122
pivotally attached to the housing
116
on one side of the aperture
118
, the second flap member
120
pivotally attached to the housing on the opposite side of the aperture, and a compressible seal
124
. The flap members
120
,
122
are movable between an open position as shown in
FIG. 4 and a
closed position as shown in FIG.
5
. In the closed position, the flap member
120
, the flap member
122
, and the FPC
114
lie in planes which are substantially parallel to one another. The seal
124
is substantially annular and the FPC
114
passes through the seal during insertion of the FPC through the aperture
118
. In the open position of the flap member
120
,
122
, the seal
124
engages the flap members. On closing the flap members
120
,
122
, the seal
124
is compressed between the flap members and partially extruded into the aperture
118
to provide a substantially fluid tight seal with the FPC
114
and with the housing
116
. The first flap member
122
preferably has a shoulder
130
formed at its free edge, and the second flap member
120
preferably has a similar shoulder
132
at its free edge, to reduce the risk of extrusion of the seal
124
away from the aperture
118
. The flap members
120
,
122
preferably each have an angled lip
134
formed thereon which in the closed position of the flap members is directed towards the aperture
118
in the housing
116
. The angled lips
134
assist in compressing the seal
124
and in pushing a portion of the seal into the aperture
118
. The flap members
120
,
122
may be retained in the closed position by any suitable snap-fit arrangement. The seal
124
is of a predetermined size to ensure that the seal is compressed on moving the flap members
120
,
122
to the closed position. The seal
124
is preferably formed from silicone gel.
FIGS. 6
to
8
show a third embodiment of sealing arrangement
200
in accordance with the present invention. As with the above described first embodiment, the sealing arrangement
200
provides a seal between an electrical connector
212
and an FPC
214
. The electrical connector
212
is a male connector and comprises a housing
216
with an aperture
218
, and the FPC
214
extends through the aperture. In the third embodiment, when compared to the first embodiment, the wall
220
and the flap member
222
are on a separately formed seal clamping device
236
. The sealing arrangement
200
comprises the wall
220
, the flap member
222
which is pivotally attached to the wall, and a compressible seal
224
. The flap member
222
is pivotally attached to the wall by a hinge
221
that is generally parallel to the electrical conductor
214
as shown in
FIGS. 6 and 8
. The seal clamping device
236
makes a sliding fit (in a direction towards the aperture
218
) on the housing
216
and has a shoulder
238
on the wall
220
which makes a snap fit with a corresponding tab
240
on the housing to retain the seal clamping device on the housing. The flap member
222
is movable between an open position as shown in
FIGS. 6 and 8
, and a closed position, as shown in FIG.
7
. In the closed position, the wall
220
, flap member
222
, and FPC
214
lie in planes which are substantially parallel to one another. The FPC
214
is inserted through the aperture
218
when the flap member
222
is in the open position. The seal
224
may be positioned around the FPC
214
either prior to or after insertion of the FPC through the aperture
218
. The flap member
222
is then moved to the closed position and the seal clamping device
236
is then slid and snap fitted to the housing
216
. In this arrangement, the seal
224
is compressed between the wall
220
and the flap member
222
and partially extruded into the aperture
218
to form a substantially fluid tight seal with the FPC
214
and with the housing
216
. The flap member
222
is retained in the closed position by a tab
226
on the flap member which make a snap fit behind a corresponding shoulder
228
formed on the wall
220
. The flap member
222
preferably has a shoulder
230
formed at its edge remote from the aperture
218
, and the wall
220
preferably has a similar shoulder
232
at its edge remote from the aperture, to reduce the risk of extrusion of the seal
224
away from the aperture
218
. The seal
224
is of a predetermined size to ensure that the seal is compressed on moving the flap member
222
to the closed position. The seal
224
is preferably formed from silicone gel. The seal
224
may be formed in one piece and be substantially annular, with the FPC
214
passing through the seal during insertion of the FPC through the aperture
218
. Alternatively, the seal
224
may be formed in two parts, with one part secured to the flap member
222
prior to compression, and the other part secured to the wall
220
prior to compression.
The above described embodiments refer to the electrical conductor being an FPC
14
. It will be appreciated that the present invention is also usable with other types of electrical conductor, especially electrical conductors which are substantially flat.
The present invention provides a seal between an electrical connector and an electrical conductor which is easy to assemble, and which does not subject the electrical conductor to temperature stresses. Further, the present invention does not raise issues regarding material compatibility as with the above mentioned prior known arrangements, and disassembly is possible without damaging the conductor or the connector.
Claims
- 1. A sealing arrangement (100) for an electrical connector (112) comprising:an electrical conductor (114); a housing (116) of the electrical connector, the housing having an aperture (118), the electrical conductor extending through the aperture; a first flap member (122) formed integrally to the housing and in communication with the aperture; a second flap member (120) formed integrally to the housing and in communication with the aperture, the first and second flap members disposed in opposition about the aperture, the first and second flap members mounted pivotally and moveable between an open position and a closed position, when in the closed position the first and second flap members and the electrical conductor lie in substantially parallel planes, at least one of the flap members (122, 120) having an angled lip (134) directed towards the aperture; and a preformed compressible seal (124) disposed compressibly between the first and second flap members, the preformed compressible seal positioned around the electrical conductor, the preformed compressible seal partially extruded into the aperture by a force exerted by the at least one angled lip when the first and second members are in the closed position.
- 2. A sealing arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flap members (122, 120) have shoulders (130,132) respectively at edges remote from the aperture (118).
- 3. A sealing arrangement as claimed in claim 2, wherein the preformed seal (124) is formed from silicone gel.
- 4. A sealing arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein the flap members (122, 120) snap fit together when in the closed position.
- 5. A sealing arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical conductor (114) is a flex circuit.
- 6. A sealing arrangement (200) for an electrical connector (212) comprising:an electrical conductor (214); a housing (216) having and defining an aperture (218), the electrical conductor extending through the aperture; a seal clamping device (236) slideable on and securable to the housing of the electrical connector, the seal clamping device in communication with the aperture, the seal clamping device having a flap member (222), a hinge (221) and a wall (220), the flap member and the wall being integrally formed and pivotally connected via the hinge, the hinge parallel to the electrical conductor, the flap member and the wall pivotally moveable between an open position and a closed position, the pivotal movement substantially perpendicular to the electrical conductor, the flap member and the wall disposed in opposition about the electrical conductor, when in the closed position the flap member, the wall and the electrical conductor lie in planes which are substantially parallel; and a preformed compressible seal (224) positioned around the electrical conductor and compressed between the flap member and the wall when the flap member is in the closed position, the preformed compressible seal further extruded into the aperture of the housing of the electrical connector when the seal clamping device is locked into the housing.
- 7. A sealing arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the flap member (222) and the wall (220) each have a shoulder (230,232) at their edges remote from the aperture (218).
- 8. A sealing arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the preformed compressible seal (224) is formed from silicone gel.
- 9. A sealing arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the preformed compressible seal (224) is substantially annular.
- 10. A sealing arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the flap member (222) makes a singular snap fit with the wall (220) in the closed position of the flap member.
- 11. A sealing arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the electrical conductor (214) is a flex circuit.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
198 35 670 |
Aug 1998 |
DE |
|
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|
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|
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DE |
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DE |
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DE |
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