US3359526A

US3359526A - Connector and insulating sleeve for spark plug or distributor

Info

Publication number: US3359526A
Application number: US625266A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bakker Roel
Original assignee: AMP Inc
Current assignee: TE Connectivity Corp
Priority date: 1963-09-30
Filing date: 1967-03-22
Publication date: 1967-12-19
Anticipated expiration: 1984-12-19
Also published as: JPS4314012Y1; GB1008229A

Description

R. BAKKER Dec. 19, 1967 CONNECTOR AND INSULATING SLEEVE FOR SPARK PLUG OR DISTRIBUTOR Original Filed Sept. 21, 1964 Inventor R095 Ba/cker 2 W Atlorne'ys United States Patent 5 Claims. (Cl. 339-26) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electrical connector assembly for mating with and sealing around a spark plug stem or a female receptacle of a distributor cap. The sealing is accomplished by an insulating sleeve which surrounds the connector elementand which has a collapsible wall portion and an inwardly directed flexible sealing flange.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 397,932, filed Sept. 21, 1964, and now abandoned.

This invention relates to an insulating sleeve and more particularly to an insulating sleeve for use on a spark plug or a distributor.

Heretofore, there has been provided insulating sleeves for use on spark plugs in order to safeguard the spark plugs from moisture, soot, dust, oil and any other undesirable environment. While these insulating sleeves have proved satisfactory, one important drawback that they possess is that they are not readily adaptable to be used on a spark plug or a distributor because of the difference in dimensions between the spark plug and the female receptacles of the distributor.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide an insulating sleeve which can readily be used on a spark plug or a female receptacle of a dis tributor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an insulating sleeve which is freely flexible and highly elastic to be readily expanded and contracted along its axis to adapt it to various sizes of standard plugs within the motor block and receptacles on distributors.

According to the present invention, there is provided an insulating sleeve for use on spark plugs and receptacles of distributors. The sleeve has a first sealing ring for gripping a lead to be secured to the connector and a second sealing ring spaced from the first sealing ring axially of the sleeve for gripping either the exterior surface of the receptacle of a distributor or the insulator stem of a spark plug. To permit the connector to be fully inserted into the receptacle of a distributor, the sleeve has a collapsible wall portion located between the sealing rings. The collapsible portion may be a wall portion of reduced thickness relative to the remainder of the sleeve wall. The second sealing ring may be an internal radial flange formed integrally with the sleeve.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention; it is to be understood, however, that this embodiment is not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting of the invention but is given for purposes of illustration and principles thereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in various forms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an axial sectional view of a connector having a sleeve thereon according to the invention, the

3,359,526 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 connector being shown applied to a spark plug insulator stern; and

FIGURE 2 is an axial sectional view of the connector and sleeve shown in FIGURE 1, the connector being shown applied to a female receptacle of a distributor.

As shown in FIGURE 1 an electrical connector 1 comprises a receptacle portion 2 which receives exposed center electrode 3' in the insulator stem of a spark plug 3. Connector 1 also has a ferrule portion 4 crimped about an electrical lead 5 and making electrical connection with the electrically-conductive core of lead 5.

An insulating sleeve 6, e.g., of nylon or other suitable flexible and elastic insulating material comprises a first sealing ring 7 tightly engaging the insulation of lead 5 and a second sealing ring 8 comprising an internal radial readily-deformable flange formed integrally with sleeve 6, the flange being in sealing engagement with insulating portion 9 of the insulator stem of plug 3. The sleeve has a wall portion 10 which is thin relative to the remainder of the wall of sleeve 6 and is, thus, readily deformable along its axis so as to assume a collapsed position with the above wall section disposed toward or adjacent the lower wall section and the inner surface of wall portion 10 approaching or attaining a folded position in accordance with the size spark plug or receptacle of a distributor that the sleeve is to engage.

As shown in FIGURE 2, connector 1 is received in a female receptacle 11 of a distributor cap DC, portion 2 of the connector lying within a sleeve-shaped metal contact element 12 within the distributor receptacle. Sealing ring 8 is in tight sealing engagement with the exterior surface of receptacle 11, and as can be discerned, sealing ring 8 is moved away from the axis of the sleeve due to the difference in external diameter between portion 9 and receptacle 11, portion 10 of the sleeve being in its collapsed position, i.e., the inner surface of wall portion 10 approaches a folded position, to compensate for the reception of connector 1 in receptacle 11.

It is preferable that the inside diameter of the wall section above portion 10 is less than that of the wall section below portion 10 and that the thickness of the wall section above portion 10 is slightly less than that of the wall section below portion 10. As can be seen, portion 10 extends from the inside surface of the wall section above portion 10 to the outside surface of the wall section below portion 10 thereby defining a frustum of a cone.

As can be discerned, there has been disclosed a unique and novel insulating sleeve for use in conjunction with spark plugs and receptacles of distributor caps.

It will, therefore, be appreciated that the aforementioned and other desirable objects have been achieved; however, it should be emphasized that the particular embodiment of the invention, which is shown and described herein, is intended as merely illustrative and not as restrictive of the invention.

I claim:

1. An electrical connector assembly for mating with a spark plug stem or a female receptacle of a distributor cap, the assembly comprising an electrical connector arranged resiliently to engage the spark plug stem or to be received in the receptacle to form a connection therewith, a connection section formed integrally with the connector and being connected to the end of an electrical lead, and an insulating sleeve surrounding the connector, the sleeve having a first portion tightly engaging the lead, a second portion in essentially coaxial and spaced relationship with the connection between the oonnection section and electrical lead, a third portion comprising a thin annular flexible sealing ring formed integrally with said third portion, said sealing ring extending inwardly toward an axis of said sleeve and forming an entrance through which said spark plug stem or the distributor receptacle passes, said sealing ring being spaced from an outer end of said connector, and a fourth portion connecting the second and third portions, the fourth portion having a thickness less than that of the second and third portions so that the fourth portion is capable of being collapsed to permit the connector to be connected with the spark plug stem or the receptacle to form an electrical connection therebetween With the sleeve surrounding the connection and the sealing ring sealingly engaging the spark plug stem or the outer surface of the receptacle.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the fourth portion is frusto-conical as seen in longitudinal section through the sleeve, the fourth portion having a larger diameter end spaced rearwardly of the connector from a smaller diameter end of the fourth portion.

3. For use with a spark plug securable in a cylinder block of an engine and having an insulator element supported thereby and a terminal mounted thereon engageable by a connector secured on one end of an electrical conductor associated with said spark plug or a receptacle of a distributor cap of said engine engageable by said connector; an insulating sleeve comprising a first section tightly engageable 'With said electrical conductor adjacent said connector thereof, a second section extending outwardly from said first section and along said connector and spaced outwardly therefrom, a third section coaxial with said first and second sections and having a substantially thin inwardly-directed flexible flange integrally formed therewith, said flange forming an entrance through which said insulator element or said receptacle passes, and being axially spaced from an outer end of said connector, and a fourth section connecting said second and third sections, said fourth section having a thickness less than that of said second and third sections so that said fourth section is collapsible thereby permitting said sleeve to fit on said spark plug or receptacle with said flange sealingly engaging said insulator element or said receptacle.

4. An insulating sleeve according to claim 3 wherein the inside diameter of said second section is less than that of said third section and the thickness of said second section is slightly less than that of said third section.

5. An insulating sleeve according to claim 3 wherein the fourth section extends from the inside surface of said second section to the outside surface of said third section thereby defining a frusturn of a cone.

No references cited.

LARAMIE E. ASKIN, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY FOR MATING WITH A SPARK PLUG STEM OR A FEMALE RECEPTACLE OF A DISTRIBUTOR CAP, THE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ARRANGED RESILIENTLY TO ENGAGE THE SPARK PLUG STEM OR TO BE RECEIVED IN THE RECEPTACLE TO FORM A CONNECTION THEREWITH, A CONNECTION SECTION FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH THE CONNECTOR AND BEING CONNECTED TO THE END OF AN ELECTRICAL LEAD, AND AN INSULATING SLEEVE SURROUNDING THE CONNECTOR, THE SLEEVE HAVING A FIRST PORTION TIGHTLY ENGAGING THE LEAD, A SECOND PORTION IN ESSENTIALLY COAXIAL AND SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE CONNECTION SECTION AND ELECTRICAL LEAD, A THIRD PORTION COMPRISING A THIN ANNULAR FLEXIBLE SEALING RING FORMED INTEGRASLLY WITH SAID THIRD PORTION, SAID SEALING RING EXTENDING INWARDLY TOWARD AN AXIS OF SAID SLEEVE AND FORMING AN ENTRANCE THROUGH WHICH SAID SPARK PLUG STEM OR THE DISTRIBUTOR RECEPTACLE PASSES, SAID SEALING RING BEING SPACED FROM AN OUTER END OF SAID CONNECTOR, AND A FOURTH PORTION CONNECTING THE SECOND AND THIRD PORTIONS, THE FOURTH PORTION HAVING A THICKNESS LESS THAN THAT OF THE SECOND AND THIRD PORTIONS SO THAT THE FOURTH PORTION IS CAPABLE OF BEING COLLAPSED TO PERMIT