US 7,491,080 B2
Sealed electrical connection element
Mounim Houir Alami, Paris (France); and Arnaud Calbel, Vaires sur Marne (France)
Assigned to Societe d'Exploitation des Porcedes Marechal (SEPM), Saint Maurice (France)
Appl. No. 11/995,078
PCT Filed Mar. 16, 2007, PCT No. PCT/FR2007/000455
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Jan. 08, 2008,
PCT Pub. No. WO2007/118948, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 25, 2007.
Claims priority of application No. 06 02358 (FR), filed on Mar. 17, 2006.
Prior Publication US 2008/0200055 A1, Aug. 21, 2008
Int. Cl. H01R 13/52 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 439—277  [439/294] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electrical connection element comprising:
an insulator block;
a plurality of peripherally distributed electrical contacts mounted in the insulator block, said electrical contacts structured and arranged to cooperate with corresponding contact pins of a plug after the electrical connection element is coupled to the plug, such coupling including, from a resting position of the safety disk, at least the following successive movements: (a) a first translation, (b) a rotation, and (c) a second translation;
a rotary safety disk positioned above the insulating block, said rotary safety disk comprising a predeterminate number of peripheral perforations arranged in a predeterminate manner within said safety disk so as:
(a) in the resting position of the safety disk, to allow the safety disk to conceal the peripheral contacts of the connection element; and
(b) after a rotation of the safety disk, performed by the contact pins of the plug after having been inserted into the perforations of the disk during said first translation, to be superimposed over the peripheral contacts;
a sealing disk positioned under the safety disk, said sealing disk being fixed against rotation and movable in translation against a bias of an elastic arrangement;
said sealing disk comprising sealing blocks positioned on said sealing disk in said predeterminate number of said peripheral perforations of the safety disk, said elastic arrangement biasing the sealing blocks toward the safety disk;
said sealing disk further comprising peripheral perforations in at least said predeterminate number of said safety disk and arranged in said predeterminate manner of the peripheral perforations of the safety disk, while being offset angularly in relation to said sealing blocks;
said sealing blocks of said sealing disk being structured and arranged so as:
(a) in said resting position of the safety disk, to seal closed said peripheral perforations of the safety disk under the bias of said elastic arrangement;
(b) during said first translation, to be disengaged from said peripheral perforations of the safety disk by the pins of the plug, thereby allowing said rotation of said safety disk performed by the contact pins of the plug being within the perforations of the disk; and
said peripheral perforations of said sealing disk being structured and arranged so as:
after said rotation, to allow the pins of the plug to extend into said peripheral perforations of said sealing disk and to come into an electrical connection position with said electrical contacts that are mounted in the insulator block;
said sealing disk adapted to reassume a sealed closure position during an uncoupling of the plug and the electrical connection element, under the bias of said elastic arrangement.