Electrical connector having a rear seal and a rear-loaded cover/retainer member

An electrical connector having electrical terminals with wire conductors attached thereto, the electrical connector comprising:

• a housing having a wire receiving face, the housing having terminal receiving cavities which extend from the wire receiving face;
• a wire seal member positioned in the housing proximate the wire receiving face, the wire seal member having seal member openings which extend through the seal member, the seal member openings align with the terminal receiving cavities, recesses are provided proximate the seal member openings, the recesses have a conical configuration, whereby spacing between side walls of the recesses proximate a second surface of the wire seal member is greater than spacing between the side walls of the recesses proximate ends of the recesses which are spaced from the second surface of the wire seal member;
• a cover/retainer positioned proximate the wire receiving face of the housing and proximate the wire seal member, cover/retainer openings are positioned in and extend through the cover/retainer, the cover/retainer openings are positioned to align with the terminal receiving cavities of the housing and the seal member openings, the cover/retainer openings have projections which are positioned about the circumference of the cover/retainer openings, the projections have a conical configuration, whereby a thickness of the projections proximate a first surface of the cover/retainer is greater than the thickness of the projections proximate free ends of the projections which are spaced from the first surface of the cover/retainer;
• wherein the projections of the cover/retainer are made of stiff or rigid material in comparison to the more compliant or softer material of the wire seal member, wherein as the projections of the cover/retainer are moved into the recesses of the wire seal member, the projections compress the more compliant or softer material around the openings of the wire seal member to seal the wire conductors and to provide cable strain relief to the wire conductors.

A method of sealing wire conductors of an electrical connector which extend from a wire receiving surface of the electrical connector, the method comprising:

• inserting the wire conductors with terminal attached thereto into cover/retainer openings of a cover/retainer, seal openings of a rear seal member and a terminal receiving cavity of a housing;
• moving the cover/retainer from a pre-loaded position;
• engaging stiff or rigid projections of the cover/retainer with recess in compliant material of the rear seal member;
• the stiff or rigid projections compressing the compliant material around the openings of the rear seal member to interact with and seal the wire conductors;
• and
• positioning the cover/retainer in a fully inserted position.