Sealed electrical connector

Claim 2

An electrical connector assembly (400) having an insulating housing (450) having at least one terminal receiving passageway for the receipt of an electrical terminal (622), the connector further comprising a sealing grommet (624) profiled to be received over an insulated conductor (626) and for compressible receipt into the rear of the terminal receiving passageway, the connector assembly (400) being characterized in that the grommet (624) has a plurality of peripheral spaced apart ribs and a through hole which allows the grommet (624) to be slidably placed over a wire (626) to be sealed, the grommet containing at its outward end, an elongate collar (624b), which is adjacent to the rear face of the connector housing (450), whereby if the wire (626) is pulled at an angle relative to the axial length, the collar (624b), not the ribs will be compressed, preventing the ingress of water beyond the first rib.

Claim 3

A sealed electrical connector (400) comprising: an insulating outer shell (400) having at least one terminal receiving passageway therethrough, the passageway comprising an enlarged bore section which extends inwardly from an outer rear wall, the bore extending forwardly towards a mating end of the shell, the bore extending forwardly and expiring at an end face, the shell having an alignment arm extending forwardly from the end face and having a surface which is axially coincident with the inner surface of the bore, the alignment arm having at its end, a rearwardly facing latching surface; a terminal receiving inner housing (450) profiled for receipt within the outer shell (400), the housing (450) having a rear face (456) which abuts with the end face of the outer shell (400), the inner housing (450) having at least one terminal receiving passageway (458) which, when in place in the outer housing (400), is aligned with the passageway in the outer housing (400), the inner passageway (458) extending from the rear face (456) of the inner housing to a front mating face (454) of the inner housing (450), the portion of the passageway (458) which is adjacent to the rear face (456) of the inner housing including an open axial seam which is profiled to receive the alignment arm of the outer shell (400) therein, the seam having at its inner end, a lip which overlaps the rearwardly facing latch surface, to latch the inner housing to the outer housing.

Claim 4

A sealed electrical connector (400) comprising: an insulating outer shell (400) having at least one terminal receiving passageway therethrough, the passageway comprising an enlarged bore section which extends inwardly from an outer rear wall, the bore extending forwardly towards a mating end of the shell, the bore extending forwardly and expiring at an end face, the shell having an alignment arm extending forwardly from the end face and having a surface which is axially coincident with the inner surface of the bore, the alignment arm having at its end, a rearwardly facing latching surface; a terminal receiving inner housing (450) profiled for receipt within the outer shell (400), the housing (450) having a rear face (456) which abuts with the end face of the outer shell (400), the inner housing (450) having at least one terminal receiving passageway (458) which, when in place in the outer housing (400), is aligned with the passageway in the outer housing (400), the inner passageway (458) extending from the rear face (456) of the inner housing to a front mating face (454) of the inner housing (450), the portion of the passageway (458) which is adjacent to the rear face (456) of the inner housing including an open axial seam which is profiled to receive the alignment arm of the outer shell (400) therein, the seam having at its inner end, a lip which overlaps the rearwardly facing latch surface, to latch the inner housing to the outer housing.

Claim 5

A sealed electrical connector of claim 2 characterized by comprising a sealing grommet (624) in accordance with claim 1.