Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-06
2001-12-11
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
C029S872000, C174S08400S
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327777
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connecting structure for covered wires where their respective conductors are connected to each other by oscillating respective insulating covers of the wires with ultrasonic waves. More particularly, it relates to a connecting structure which is effective to connect a shield wire with a ground wire.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, it is complicated and troublesome to handle a shield wire having a braided wire coaxially disposed around a core line (or core lines) with the deteriorated workability in using the shield wire. As an effective measure for improving the deteriorated workability, there is provided a connecting structure for wires which takes advantage of inside heating due to the ultrasonic oscillation by Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (kokai) No. 7-320842.
In the publication, there are shown two kinds of covered wires. One is a shield wire which comprises a core line, an inside insulating rind arranged outside the core line, a braided wire as a shield conductor arranged outside the inside insulating rind, and an outside insulating rind. The other is a ground wire consisting of a core line and an outside resinous rind arranged outside the core line.
According to the disclosed method of connecting the braided wire of the shield wire being connected to a connector, to the core line of the ground wire being also connected to the connector, in front of the connector, the ground wire is firstly overlaid on the shield wire so as to cross each other at a connection point. Next, the overlapping portions are interposed between upper and lower resin tips. Then, while compressing the upper and lower resin tips from the outside, they are subjected to ultrasonic oscillation by making use of an ultrasonic horn and an anvil. Consequently, both of the outside rinds of the shield wire and the ground wire are molten for elimination, so that the braided wire of the shield wire comes into electrical contact with the core line of the ground wire. Simultaneously, the upper and lower resin tips are mutually welded to each other thereby to seal up the surroundings of the above connecting point. Note, in the modification, there is a case that the upper and lower resin tips are respectively provided, on bearing faces thereof, with wire-accommodating shallow grooves for positioning the shield wire.
However, the above-mentioned connecting structure has a problem that much covering resin, in other words, molten resin which is expected to be removed by the ultrasonic oscillation does remain around a contact between conductors. In such a case, the endurance test against thermal shock etc. would cause the covering resin to be deformed and therefore, the contact between the conductors would be displaced thereby to increase the resistance of the contact disadvantageously. Additionally, there is sometimes observed a phenomenon that, when welding the upper and lower resin tips to each other, the molten covering resin causes the outside insulating rind of the shield to be torn or broken. In such a case, the fixing force between the integrated resin tips and the shield wire, i.e. the strength of connection is lowered with a reduction of insulating effect owing to the integrated tips.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Under such a circumstance, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connecting structure for covered wires, which is capable of defining a flow of the molten resin during the ultrasonic welding, whereby the electrical connecting performance can be stabilized to prevent both connecting strength and insulating performance from being lowered.
The object of the present invention described above can be accomplished by a connecting structure for covered wires, comprising:
a first covered wire having a first conductor covered with a first resinous cover;
a second covered wire having a second conductor covered with a second resinous cover, the second conductor being electrically connected with the first conductor of the first covered wire cross each other; and
an upper resin tip and a lower resin tip between which an electrical connecting part of the first and second conductors and the surroundings are interposed, the upper resin tip being welded to the lower resin tip while interposing the first and second covered wires between the upper resin tip and the lower resin tip;
wherein each of the upper and lower resin tips is provided, on its butt face being abutted against the other resin tip, with a wire receiving groove for receiving the first covered wire, an intermediate portion of the wire receiving groove in the longitudinal direction being established as a connecting part between the first covered wire and the second covered wire; and
wherein the wire receiving groove is provided, adjacent the connecting part, with at least one recess for receiving molten resin resulting from the melting of the first and second resinous covers.
With the above-mentioned connecting structure, owing to the provision of at least one recess on either one or both sides of the connecting part, the molten resin produced by the ultrasonic oscillation flows into the recess(es). Therefore, the molten resin can be withdrawn from the connecting part rapidly, whereby it is possible to accomplish the connecting between the first and second conductors smooth. Furthermore, with a reduced quantity of the molten resin staying around the connecting part, it is possible to reduce the bad influence of the molten resin on the contact, whereby the electrical connecting performance can be stabilized. Since the molten resin can be collected in the recess(es), there can be excluded a possibility that the first and second resinous covers outside the first and second resin tips are damaged by the molten resin, so that it is possible to avoid a deterioration in the fixing force between the first and second covered wires at the connecting part, which might be caused due to the damage to the first and second resinous covers, and also avoid a deterioration in the insulating performance.
In the above-mentioned structure, preferably, the first covered wire is a shield wire, while the second wire is a ground wire and wherein the first conductor is a shield conductor of the shield wire, while the second conductor is a core line of the ground wire.
With the above-mentioned connecting structure, since the molten resin produced by the ultrasonic oscillation flows into the recess(es), it is possible to accomplish the connecting between the shield conductor of the shield wire and the core line of the ground wire smooth. Also in this case, with the reduced quantity of the molten resin staying around the connecting part between the shield conductor and the core line, it is possible to reduce the bad influence of the molten resin on the contact, whereby the electrical connecting performance can be stabilized. Since the molten resin can be collected in the recess(es), there can be excluded a possibility that the first resinous cover of the shield wire outside the first and second resin tips is damaged by the molten resin, so that it is possible to avoid a deterioration in the fixing force between the shield wire and the connecting part, which might be caused due to the damage to the first resinous cover, and also avoid a deterioration in the insulating performance due to the exposure of the shield conductor.
Preferably, the upper resin tip is provided, outside the recess in the longitudinal direction, with a damming part for checking a leakage of the molten resin over the recess.
Owing to the further provision of the damming part outside the recess, it is possible to check the leakage of the molten resin from the recess to the outside certainly. That is, it is possible to avoid the damage to the first resinous cover of the first covered wire, whereby the retaining capability against the first covered wire can be improved. Further, it is possible to prevent the first conductor of the first covered wire from being exposed, thereby enhanci
Ide Tetsuro
Tanikawa Satoshi
Mavo, III William H.
Reichard Dean A.
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