# US 2023/0411901 A1 · Integrated waterproof seal assembly and use thereof

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- Number: US 2023/0411901 A1
- Document ID: US20230411901A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/254,691
- Filed: 2021-07-06
- Published: 2023-12-21
- Earliest claimed: 2020-12-07
- Assignees: Shenzhen Cotran New Material Co., Ltd
- Applicants: Shenzhen Cotran New Material Co., Ltd
- Inventors: Bin SONG; Dong ZHOU; Dongdong ZHU
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230411901A1

## CPC

- H01R 13/5213: {Covers}
- H01R 13/5219: {Sealing means between coupling parts, e.g. interfacial seal}
- H01R 13/6275: {Latching arms not integral with the housing (H01R13/6276, H01R13/6277, H01R13/6278 take precedence)}
- H02G 15/013: Sealing means for cable inlets (inlets for cables filled with, or surrounded by, gas or oil H02G15/32)
- H01R 13/506: assembled by snap action of the parts
- H01R 13/516: Means for holding or embracing insulating body, e.g. casing {, hoods}
- H01R 13/635: by mechanical pressure, e.g. spring force
- H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H02G: INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES

## Abstract

An The integrated waterproof seal connector has a metal snap-fit member, a plastic support member, a rubber tube, and a supporting tube member. The rubber tube has a first hollow structure portion, connected to a second hollow structure portion through a connecting portion. The supporting member tube is detachably disposed in the first hollow structure portion. The metal snap-fit member is detachably disposed in the plastic support member, and a press type clamping structure portion is arranged on an end of the metal snap-fit member and can be stuck to a wall of the plastic support member. The plastic support member is disposed in the second hollow structure portion. A first end of the second hollow structure portion is provided with a seal structure for sealing a connecting port of a device. A stuck structure protrudes from the first end of the second hollow structure portion.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An integrated waterproof seal connector, comprising a rubber tube, a supporting tube member, a metal snap-fit member, and a plastic support member;
wherein the rubber tube is of a hollow structure and comprises a first hollow structure portion, a second hollow structure portion, and a connecting portion connecting the first hollow structure portion with the second hollow structure portion, which are integrally formed;
the supporting tube member is detachably arranged in the first hollow structure portion for supporting the first hollow structure portion, and can shrink and cling to a cable after the supporting tube member is detached;
the metal snap-fit member is detachably arranged in the plastic support member, the end provided with a press type clamping structure portion capable of being stuck on a wall of the plastic support member;
the plastic support member is arranged in the second hollow structure portion, a first end of the second hollow structure portion is provided with a sealing structure which can seal a connecting port of a device, and the stuck structures of the plastic support member and the metal snap-fit member protrude out of the first end of the second hollow structure portion.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The integrated waterproof seal connector according to claim 1, wherein the metal snap-fit member is provided with the elastic clamping structure portion, the elastic clamping structure portion can be elastically stuck on a wall of the plastic support member after being pressed to pass through the plastic support member and being rebounded then;
and/or the metal snap-fit member is formed by a first wall, a second wall, a third wall and a fourth wall in an enclosing manner, first ends of the four walls are of an integrally connected structure, the first wall is arranged opposite to the third wall, and the second wall is arranged opposite to the fourth wall; except the first ends, portions of the first wall and the two adjacent walls are arranged separately from each other; except the first ends, portions of the third wall and the two adjacent walls are arranged separately from each other; and second ends of the first wall and the third wall are provided with the clamping structure portion protruding towards outside of the snap-fit member respectively; and/or
the first wall of the metal snap-fit member is higher than the two adjacent walls, and the third wall of the metal snap-fit member is higher than the two adjacent walls; and/or both the second wall and fourth wall of the metal snap-fit member are provided with guide slots;
the guide slot is of a structure formed by a metal sheet located on a wall and the wall, wherein only one side of the metal sheet on each wall is connected with the wall, and a surface of the metal sheet is separated from the wall and protrudes outwardly.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The integrated waterproof seal connector according to claim 1, wherein the plastic support member is formed by a first surface, a second surface, a third surface and a fourth surface in an enclosing manner, with the first ends of the four surfaces being of an integrally connected structure, the first surface being arranged opposite to the third surface, and the second surface being arranged opposite to the fourth surface; the second surface is higher than the two adjacent surfaces and the fourth surface higher than the two adjacent surfaces, so that the integrally connected structure formed by second ends in an enclosing manner is provided with two opposite notches in the first surface and the third surface, and the clamping structure portions arranged on the metal snap-fit member are stuck in the two notches of the plastic support member respectively; and/or
the first surface and third surface of the plastic support member are provided with through holes at positions close to the first ends, and the positions of through holes are matched with convex blocks arranged on the metal snap-fit member; and/or
a inner wall of the plastic support member is provided with guide grooves, and the guide grooves are matched with the metal sheets on the second wall and the fourth wall of the metal snap-fit member.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The integrated waterproof seal connector according to claim 1, wherein the first hollow structure portion is a hollow round tube structure portion, a sealing structure layer is arranged at a combining portion of the hollow round tube structure portion and the supporting tube member, and preferably, the material of the sealing structure layer is rubber or cement; and/or the connecting portion is a hollow special-shaped connecting tube, preferably a hollow conical tube, a hollow externally threaded tube, or a hollow ellipsoidal tube, and an inner diameter of each section of the connecting portion is greater than that of the hollow round tube structure portion; and/or
the sealing structure of the first end of the second hollow structure portion is of a threaded structure for sealing the connecting port of the device.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The integrated waterproof seal connector according to claim 1, further comprising a plastic retainer which is arranged in the metal snap-fit member for fixing a cable;
the plastic retainer is provided with a hollow structure which is matched with the first hollow structure portion, second hollow structure portion and connecting portion of the rubber tube, the plastic support member, and the metal snap-fit member.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The integrated waterproof seal connector according to claim 5, wherein the plastic retainer is of two separate symmetrical structures, the two separate symmetrical structures are correspondingly provided with fastening structures, and during use, the two symmetrical structures are closed into a whole by the fastening structures, forming a shape arranged in the metal snap-fit member; and/or
the plastic retainer is provided with a first wall, a second wall, a third wall and a fourth wall after being enclosed into a whole, upper ends of the second wall and the fourth wall are provided with position-limiting lugs at the center, and when the plastic retainer is arranged in the metal snap-fit member, the position-limiting lugs are limited by guide convex-belts arranged between the guide grooves in inner wall of the plastic support member; and/or
both ends of the second wall and the fourth wall of the plastic retainer extend outwardly to form four protrusions which protrude from both ends of the first wall and the third wall, and the size of the extended ends of the second wall and the fourth wall is less than or equal to that of the second wall and the fourth wall of the metal snap-fit member.

### Claim 7

A conjoined integrated waterproof seal connector, comprising a conjoined rubber tube, a metal snap-fit member, a plastic support member, and supporting tube members; wherein the conjoined rubber tube comprises a plurality of separate first hollow structure portions, a plurality of connecting portions, and a one-piece second hollow structure portion, the numbers of the connecting portions and the supporting tube members are the same as that of the first round hollow structure portions, each of the first round hollow structure portions is connected to the one-piece second hollow structure portion through one connecting portion respectively, and the metal snap-fit member and the plastic support member are both of a one-piece structure matched with the second hollow structure portion.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

A method of using the integrated waterproof seal connector according to claim 6, comprising:
(1) integrating the rubber tube, the supporting tube member, the plastic support member and the metal snap-fit member into a one-piece part;
(2) fastening the hinge structures of the two symmetrical structures of the plastic retainer together;
(3) passing a cable through the one-piece part in step (1);
(4) placing the cable obtained in step (3) onto the plastic retainer obtained in step (2);
(5) fastening a socket and a fastener of the plastic retainer;
(6) arranging the plastic retainer into the one-piece part.
Preferably, in step (1), the clamping structure portion of the metal snap-fit member are pressed inwardly, so that the metal snap-fit member is inserted into the plastic support member from an upper port or a lower port of the plastic support member; after fitting, the clamping structure portion of the metal snap-fit member are stuck in the two notches of the plastic support member respectively, and each two metal sheets on the second wall and the fourth wall of the metal snap-fit member are inserted into the grooves of the second wall and the fourth wall of the inner wall of the plastic support member respectively; subsequently, adhesive is applied on all or part of the areas of the outer surfaces of the plastic support member and the metal snap-fit member integrated as a whole as describe above, the plastic support member and the metal snap-fit member are placed into a mold, rubber is injected, and compression molding is performed, so that the plastic support member and the metal snap-fit member integrated as a whole are wrapped by the rubber tube; and
finally, the supporting tube member is arranged into the first hollow structure portion and the connecting portion of the rubber tube by pre-expansion.
Preferably, in step (4), the plastic retainer is inserted from the upper end of the one-piece part, so that the position-limiting lugs on the second wall and the fourth wall of the plastic retainer are positioned to bottoms of the guide convex-belts of the second wall and the fourth wall in the inner wall of the plastic support member.

### Claim 9

An integrated waterproof port sealing element, comprising a rubber tube, a metal snap-fit member, and a plastic support member;
wherein the rubber tube is of a bottom-closed hollow structure, and comprises an integrally formed second hollow structure portion;
the metal snap-fit member is detachably arranged in the plastic support member, the end provided with a press type clamping structure portion capable of being stuck on a wall of the plastic support member;
the plastic support member is arranged in the second hollow structure portion of the rubber tube, a first end of the second hollow structure portion is provided with a sealing structure which can seal a connecting port of a device, and the stuck structures of the plastic support member and the metal snap-fit member protrude out of the first end of the second hollow structure portion.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

Use of the integrated waterproof seal connector or the port sealing element according to claim 1 in the waterproof sealing connection between a cable and a port of an optical/electrical signal transmission device, such as in communication (preferably 5G communication), Internet of Things, electrical power, rail transit (preferably 5G rail transit), automobiles, meteorology, intelligent power grids, intelligent household appliances, and photovoltaic power generation systems. Specifically, the seal connector or the port sealing element can be used for protecting connecting photovoltaic modules to form a power generation module array with designed output power, or protecting a power cable connector for intelligent power grids, or protecting a cable connector between the port of a communication base station device and a cable, or protecting a port connector for various types of devices.