Electrical connector for atmospheric isolation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9929494-B2
Application number	US-201615272652-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2016
Priority date	May 15, 2015
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

An electrical connector that may include a socket body and that includes four lateral walls, a rear wall, a catch feature and a catch support. The lateral walls may adjoin one another and the rear wall. The catch support may adjoin two of the lateral walls along edges of the catch support to define a catch cavity and a plug cavity on opposing sides of the catch support. A first side of the rear wall may face the plug cavity and a second side bounds a rear surface of the socket body. The catch feature may couple with the catch support. Electrical pins may pass through the rear wall of the socket body such that one end of each of the pins is within the plug cavity, and an opposing end of each of the pins extends away from the rear surface of the socket body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector system, the electrical connector system comprising:
a socket, comprising:
a socket body that defines a catch cavity and a plug cavity, wherein the catch cavity and the plug cavity are each formed by a plurality of walls and a wall of the plurality of walls is a shared support wall;
a catch feature that is located within the catch cavity; and
a plurality of electrical pins that pass through a rear wall of the plurality of walls such that one end of each electrical pin of the plurality of electrical pins is disposed within the plug cavity, and an opposing end of each of the plurality of electrical pins extends away from a rear surface of the socket; and

a plug, comprising:
a plug body that forms a plurality of pin sockets;
a plurality of contacts corresponding to the plurality of electrical pins of the socket, each contact of the plurality of contacts being disposed within a respective pin socket of the plurality of pin sockets;
a latch spring attached with the plug body; and
a latch member that removably mechanically couples with the catch feature within the catch cavity such that as the plug body inserts into the plug cavity:
the plurality of electrical pins disposed within the plug cavity insert into the plurality of pin sockets and make contact with the contacts; and
the catch feature deflects the latch member.

2. The electrical connector system of claim 1 , wherein the socket is installed on a sensor device that is part of the electrical connector system such that when the plug is inserted into the socket, a battery compartment door of the sensor device cannot fully open.

3. The electrical connector system of claim 2 , wherein the sensor device is a hazard detector that detects smoke, carbon monoxide, or both.

4. The electrical connector system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of walls of the socket body continuously and airtightly adjoin to form the catch cavity and the plug cavity.

5. The electrical connector system of claim 1 , wherein the catch feature is attached to the shared support wall within the catch cavity.

6. The electrical connector system of claim 1 , wherein the latch spring is made of nylon and exerts force when deformed by the catch feature pressing against the latch member.

7. The electrical connector system of claim 6 , wherein an insertion force of the plug into the socket body is less than 15 N.

8. The electrical connector system of claim 1 , wherein the socket further comprises one or more stabilizing prongs that are press-fit into corresponding apertures within the socket body, such that a first end of each stabilizing prong is approximately coplanar with a front surface of the rear wall of the plurality of walls and a second end of each stabilizing prong protrudes from the rear wall.

9. The electrical connector system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrical pins, the plurality of pin sockets, and the plurality of contacts comprise exactly two electrical pins, exactly two pin sockets, and exactly two contacts, respectively.

10. The electrical connector system of claim 1 , further comprising a gasket that contacts at least four walls of the plurality of walls of the socket and airtightly seals the socket against an enclosure of a sensor device.

11. An electrical connector, the electrical connector comprising:
a socket, comprising:
a socket body that defines a catch cavity and a plug cavity, wherein the catch cavity and the plug cavity are each formed by a plurality of walls and a wall of the plurality of walls is a shared support wall;
a catch feature that is located within the catch cavity; and
a plurality of electrical pins that pass through a rear wall of the plurality of walls such that one end of each electrical pin of the plurality of electrical pins is disposed within the plug cavity, and an opposing end of each of the electrical pins extends away from a rear surface of the socket.

12. The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein the socket of the electrical connector is positioned on a sensor device such that when a plug is inserted into the socket, a battery compartment door of the sensor device cannot fully open.

13. The electrical connector of claim 12 , wherein the sensor device is a hazard detector that detects smoke, carbon monoxide, or both.

14. The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein the catch feature is attached with the shared support wall within the catch cavity.

15. The electrical connector of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of walls of the socket body continuously and airtightly adjoin to form the catch cavity and the plug cavity.

16. The electrical connector of claim 15 , further comprising a gasket that contacts at least four walls of the plurality of walls of the socket and airtightly seals the socket against an enclosure of a sensor device.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Schmidt Mathias
• Mittleman Adam

Classifications

• H01R13/5202 Primary

  Sealing means between parts of housing or between housing part and a wall, e.g. sealing rings · CPC title

• H01R12/7076

  for connection between PCB and component, e.g. display · CPC title

• H01R13/6272

  comprising a single latching arm · CPC title

• H01R13/73

  Means for mounting coupling parts to apparatus or structures, e.g. to a wall · CPC title

• G08B21/14

  Toxic gas alarms (G08B21/16 takes precedence) · CPC title