U.S. patent number 3,624,585 [Application Number 05/023,124] was granted by the patent office on 1971-11-30 for dual electrical and fluidic connector assembly.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Bendix Corporation. Invention is credited to Edward Kokalas, Edward S. Yablonski.
United States Patent |
3,624,585 |
Kokalas , et al. |
November 30, 1971 |
DUAL ELECTRICAL AND FLUIDIC CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY
Abstract
A quick-connect connector for connecting a plurality of fluid
and electrical conductors. In combination with an electrical
connector of the type having a male and female member each of which
includes an insert having a plurality of passages of a given
diameter and wherein one of said inserts includes male electrical
contact members disposed in the passages of the inserts and female
electrical contact members disposed in the passages of the other
insert for connecting a plurality of noncommunicating electrical
conductors and predetermined circuit relationship, the improvement
wherein one of the inserts is comprised of a resilient material and
wherein at least one duct is disposed in one of the passages of the
other insert, the duct having an end portion with a boss thereon
which extends beyond the insert, the diameter of the boss being
greater than the diameter of the passage in said resilient insert
so that when the male and female members are in mated relationship,
the boss on the duct is in pressurized contact with the wall of the
passage of the resilient insert to form a fluidtight seal
therebetween whereby said connector connects in a predetermined
relationship electrical and fluid conductors.
Inventors: |
Kokalas; Edward (Sidney,
NY), Yablonski; Edward S. (Sidney, NY) |
Assignee: |
The Bendix Corporation
(N/A)
|
Family
ID: |
21813261 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/023,124 |
Filed: |
March 27, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/195;
439/587 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/005 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/00 (20060101); H01r 003/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;339/15,16,59,60,61,45,46 ;174/47 ;285/235 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Moore; Richard E.
Assistant Examiner: Hafer; Robert A.
Claims
Having described the invention what is claimed is:
1. In a connector assembly, the combination comprising:
means for connecting at least one electrical conductor in
electrical circuit relationship to another electrical conductor;
and
means for connecting at least one fluid conductor in a fluid
communicating relationship to another fluid conductor which
comprises:
an insert, having a plurality of passages;
a duct, disposed in at least one of said passages, said duct having
an end portion with a boss thereon which extends beyond said
insert, said boss having a given diameter; and
a resilient insert having a plurality of bores arranged in the same
manner as the passages in said other insert said resilient insert
having at least one bore therein receiving the portion of said duct
having the boss thereon, said bore having a diameter less than the
diameter of the boss on said duct so that when said duct is
inserted into said bore said boss on said duct is in pressurized
contact with the wall of said bore whereby a fluidtight seal is
formed therebetween so that the electrical conductors are
electrically isolated from the fluid conductors.
2. In combination with an electrical connector of the type having a
male and female member each of which include an insert having a
plurality of passages of a given diameter and wherein one of said
inserts includes male electrical contact members disposed in the
passages of said insert and female electrical contact members
disposed in the passages of said other insert for connecting a
plurality of noncommunicating electrical conductors in
predetermined circuit relationship, the improvement comprising:
one of said inserts is comprised of a resilient material; and
at least one duct, said duct disposed in one of the passages of
said other insert, said duct having an end portion with a boss
thereon which extends beyond said insert, the diameter of said boss
being greater than the diameter of the passage in said resilient
insert so that when said male and female members are in mated
relationship, the boss in said duct is in pressurized contact with
the wall of the passage of said resilient insert to form a
fluidtight seal therebetween whereby said connector connects in a
predetermined relationship electrical and fluid conductors.
3. A connector assembly for connecting at least one fluid conductor
to another and at least one electrical conductor to another which
comprises:
a first assembly which includes:
an insert comprised of a resilient material and having at least two
passages therethrough, each of said passages having a given
diameter;
a duct disposed in at least one of said passages, said duct having
an end portion which terminates within the passage in said housing;
and
an electrical contact disposed in another passage, said electrical
contact having an end portion which terminates with the passage in
said insert;
a second assembly which includes:
an insert having at least two passages therethrough arranged in the
same manner as the passages in said resilient insert;
a duct disposed in at least one of said passages, said duct having
an end portion which extends beyond said insert, said end portion
having at least one boss thereon, the diameter of the boss being
greater than the diameter of the passage in said resilient insert
so that when said duct is inserted into one of said passages in
said resilient insert, the boss on the end portion of said second
assembly duct is in pressurized contact with the wall of the
passage in said resilient insert whereby a fluidtight seal is
formed therebetween; and
an electrical contact disposed in another passage, said contact
having a middle portion and an end portion which extends beyond
said insert for insertion into said passage in said resilient
insert having said electrical contact so that when said first
assembly is in mated relationship with said second assembly, said
electrical contact is in circuit relationship with said other
contact whereby said connector assembly connects electrical and
fluid conductors in a predetermined relationship.
4. A connector assembly for connecting at least one fluid conductor
to another and at least one electrical conductor to another which
comprises:
a first assembly which includes:
an insert comprised of a resilient material and having at least two
passages therethrough, each of said passages having a given
diameter; and
a duct disposed in at least one of said passages, said duct having
an end portion which terminates within the passage in said insert,
and an end portion which extends beyond said insert for receiving a
first fluid conductor;
An electrical contact disposed in another passage, said electrical
contact having an end portion which terminates within the passage
in said insert, and an end portion which extends beyond said insert
for receiving a first electrical conductor;
A second assembly which includes:
an insert having at least two passages therethrough;
a duct disposed in at least one of said passages, said duct having
a middle portion, an end portion which extends beyond said insert
for receiving a second fluid conductor, and another end portion
having at least one boss thereon which extends beyond said insert
for insertion into one of said passages in said resilient insert,
the diameter of the boss being greater than the diameter of the
passage in said resilient insert so that when said first assembly
is in mated relationship with said second assembly the boss on the
end portion of said second assembly duct is in pressurized contact
with the wall of the passages in said resilient insert whereby a
fluidtight seal is formed therebetween; and
an electrical contact disposed in another passage, said contact
having a middle portion, an end portion which extends beyond said
insert for receiving a second electrical conductor, and another end
portion which extends beyond said insert for insertion into said
passage in said resilient insert so that when said first assembly
is in mated relationship with said second assembly, said electrical
contact is in circuit relationship with said other contact whereby
said connector assembly connects said first electrical conductor to
said second electrical conductor and said first fluid conductor to
said second fluid conductor.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention is concerned with coupling devices commonly referred
to as quick-connect connectors. More specifically, it is concerned
with a connector assembly that for the first time enables a person
to connect together a plurality of fluid and electrical conductors
in one operation.
Up to the present time, control systems have not combined a fluidic
and electrical conductor within the same conduit and/or connector
assembly. Perhaps the reason for this was the concern of electrical
engineers that fluid leaking from a fluid conductor would adversely
affect the electrical circuitry. This is especially true at the
connecting points between two fluid conductors where in the past
fluidtight seals were unreliable. Perhaps one of the most common
and perplexing shortcomings of prior art fluid connectors was the
lack of sufficiently positive sealing characteristics to provide
leaktight seals. Examples of a fluid type connector assembly may be
found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,305,249 to E. J. Zahuranec and 3,453,007
to M. G. Roland. Examples of electrical connectors of the
quick-connect connector are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,336,569 to J.
A. Nava.
A review of presently used commercial and/or military connector
assembly reveals that because of the above problem a connector
assembly that connects both electric and fluid conductors is not
used and is not available.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A quick-connect connector assembly for connecting together a
plurality of electrical and fluidic conductors. The invention is
characterized by the fluidic portion of the connector assembly
which includes a plurality of hollow rigid male members each of
which has at least one annular boss thereon with a diameter greater
than the bores in a resilient insert that receives the hollow male
members so that when the male members are inserted into the
resilient insert, a compression seal is formed between the boss on
the rigid male members and the inner wall of the bores in the
resilient insert thereby establishing a fluidtight relationship.
Because of this exceptional fluidtight relationship, the connector
assembly may be used to connect both electric and fluid conductors
within the same connector assembly. A more detailed detailed
description of the fluidtight connector assembly may be found in
copending application (serial number not received).
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a
connector assembly capable of connecting a plurality of
noncommunicating electrical and fluidic conductors in a
predetermined relationship.
It is another object of this invention to promote the use of both
electrical and fluid power in control systems.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a fluid
coupling that may be used in any of the existing type electrical
connectors.
Another object of this invention is to provide an electrical and
fluid connector that does not rely primarily upon compressing the
transverse end walls of the inserts for a fluidtight seal.
The above and other objects and features of the invention will
become apparent from the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims which form a
part of this specification.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a connector assembly utilizing the
principles of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a connector assembly which
connects together at least two fluid conductors and at least two
electrical conductors in a predetermined relationship.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a connector assembly which is
comprised of a first assembly 20 and a second assembly 10. The
second assembly 10 comprises a housing 13, an insert 11, fluid
ducts 1, and electrical contacts 50. The insert 11 has a plurality
of bores or passages 12 formed in the insert which are arranged
generally axially of the insert. Located in the passages 12 are the
ducts 1 and at least one electrical contact 50. The ducts 1 are
mounted within the insert 11 so that each end of a duct, including
at least one annular boss thereon, extends beyond the insert 11.
This arrangement allows the ends of each duct 1 to be inserted into
a fluid conductor. Similarly, the electrical contacts are also
mounted within the insert so that each end of the contact 50,
extends beyond the insert 11. The insert 11 is mounted in the
housing 13. The housing 13 includes an external mounting flange
apertured to receive fastening members so that the housing 13 may
be mounted on a bulkhead. For the purpose of connecting the
assembly 10 to another assembly, the housing 13 includes a tubular
portion having threads 14 for receiving a threaded coupling device
31 and a rear portion having threads for receiving a coupling
device for attaching a support and/or protective mechanism around
the electrical and fluidic conductors. Located within the housing
13 is a guide or key 17 so that when the first assembly 20 is
connected to the second assembly 10, the fluid carrying conductors
and electrical contacts of each assembly communicate with each
other in a predetermined relationship. The first assembly 20
comprises a housing 23, an insert 21, ducts 1, and at least one
electrical contact 53. The insert 21 is comprised of a resilient
material and has a plurality of bores or passages 22 formed in the
insert arranged generally axially of the housing in the same manner
as the passages 12 in insert 11. Located in at least one of the
passages 22 is a duct 1. The duct is mounted in the insert 21 so
that one end of the boss thereon extends beyond the housing for
receiving a fluid conductor 41 and the other end terminates within
the passage 22 of the insert 21. Similarly, located in the passages
22 is at least one electrical contact 53. The electrical contact 53
is mounted in the insert 21 so that one end of the contact extends
beyond the insert for receiving an electrical conductor 51 and the
other end terminates within the passage 22 of the insert 21. The
electrical contact 53 is the female contact that mates with the
male contact 50 of the second assembly 10 when the assemblies 10
and 20 are in mated relationship. However, the relationship between
which insert carries the male and female portion of the electrical
contacts is interchangeable and can be arranged in any manner. The
insert 21 is mounted in the housing 23. The housing 23 includes a
tubular portion having threads 26 for receiving a threaded coupling
device for attaching a support and/or protective mechanism for the
electrical and fluidic conductors 41, 51. The housing 23 has a slot
27 which receives the key 17 when the assemblies 10 and 20 are
connected. Once the assemblies 10, 20 are connected, coupling nut
31 may be used to interlock the assemblies together. It is not
necessary to compress the transverse end walls 19, 29 of the
inserts 11 and 21 respectively to obtain a fluidtight seal. The
fluidtight seal between the assemblies 10, 20 is accomplished by
the initial interconnection between the assemblies i.e., when the
ducts 1 are inserted into passages 22. Although not shown, the
inserts 11, 21 have means such as grooves and shoulders for
locating the inserts 11, 21 in a predetermined location within
their respective housings 13, 23. The inserts 11, 21 are comprised
of a resilient material such as rubber, neoprene rubber, nylon,
teflon or any other materials that will permit repeated compression
of the material with a minimum loss of shape. Although both inserts
11, 21 may be comprised of resilient material for
interchangeability, only one of the inserts may be comprised of a
resilient material. In that instance, the resilient insert must be
part of the housing assembly that receives the extended portion of
a duct 1 from the other assembly.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a connector assembly wherein
assemblies 10, 20 are interconnected with one another to establish
fluid communication between fluid conductors 41 and electrical
communication between electrical conductors 51. The duct 1 in the
insert 21 leaves sufficient room in the bore 22 to receive that
portion of the duct 1, having a boss 3 thereon, which extends from
the insert 11. Unlike the electrical contacts 50, 53, contact
between the ducts 1 of the assemblies 10, 20 is unnecessary. The
end portion of the duct 1 mounted in the insert 11, has a boss 3
thereon which has a diameter greater than the diameter of the bore
22, so that when the duct 1 enters the bore 22 a compression seal
is formed by the boss 3 pressing into the walls of the bore 22 in
the resilient insert 21. A positive fluidtight seal is, therefore,
established in one step by inserting the duct 1 into the bore 22.
Although only one boss 3 enters bore 22, two bosses may be
preferred. The transverse end walls 19, 29 of the inserts 11, 21
are not required to be in pressurized contact to have a fluidtight
connector assembly although by action of the coupling nut 31 which
locks the assembly together they may be. Electrical contacts 50, 53
are arranged in their respective inserts 11, 21 so that they are in
electrical circuit relationship as soon as a fluidtight seal is
established between the duct 1 and the insert 21. The electrical
contact 53 in insert 21 is the female electrical contact that
receives the male contact 50 that extends from insert 11. Both the
electrical contacts 50, 53 and the ducts 1 have shoulders 7 that
are used to locate the contacts and ducts in a predetermined and
fixed position in the inserts 11, 21.
OPERATION
Referring now to the drawings, the assemblies 10, 20 are connected
together in the following manner. To establish connections between
noncommunicating fluid and electrical conductors 41, 51 the
assemblies 10, 20 are aligned as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. To cause
proper orientation of the ducts 1 and contacts 50, 53, key 17 is
inserted into slot 27 and when the assemblies 10 and 20 are
directed towards each other, the forward end portions of the ducts
1 and electrical contact 50 in the assembly 10 are inserted into
the bores 22 of the insert 21. Coupling nut 31 may then be taken up
on the mating threads 14 provided on the housing 13. This action
interlocks the two assemblies 10, 20 together. By further
tightening of the coupling nut 31, compression between the
transverse end walls 19, 29 of the inserts 11, 21 within the
housing 13 may be obtained. However, compressing the inserts 11 and
21 is not necessary to obtain a fluidtight seal and/or electrical
connection in this connection in this connector. This is because
the primary fluidtight seal is formed between the boss 3 on the
duct 1 and the inner wall of the bore 22 in the resilient insert
21. When it is desired to disconnect the assemblies 10, 20 a
reverse procedure is followed. Thus, this invention makes it
possible to connect a multiplicity of noncommunicating fluid
conductors and electrical conductors simultaneously without the
necessity of reverting to separate connections. Further, to assure
a positive, leaktype seal within the connector, it is not necessary
to rely on the action of a coupling nut to press the transverse
walls 19, 29 of the inserts 11, 21 together.
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed,
it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be
made to the invention as set forth in the appended claims, and, in
some cases, certain features of the invention may be used to
advantage without corresponding use of other features. Accordingly,
it is intended that the illustrative and descriptive materials
employed herein be used to illustrate the principles of the
invention and not to limit the scope thereof.
* * * * *