Electric resistance heating devices – Heating devices – Radiant heater
Patent
1993-09-15
1995-01-24
Reynolds, Bruce A.
Electric resistance heating devices
Heating devices
Radiant heater
392418, 219524, 219521, 219385, 432225, 269 872, B29C 6342, H01R 472, H05B 300
Patent
active
053848896
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to heating devices, and in particular to devices for recovering heat-recoverable plastics sleeves about a portion of an electrical wire harness.
In the manufacture of automotive harnesses it is often necessary to form a splice between a number of wires. The splice may be formed by stripping insulation from the ends of the wires and then joining them by ultrasonic welding apparatus. After the weld has been made it can be insulated and sealed from the environment by recovering a length of heat-recoverable tubing over the weld area and the adjacent insulated regions of the wiring. In order to recover the sleeve, a number of heater devices have been proposed that are intended to sit on the ultrasonic welding apparatus in the region of the welding head so that the operator can feed the harness splice with its associated recoverable sleeve into the heater.
For example, one form of heater is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,662 in which the splice and sleeve are moved above the heater and are lowered vertically into it. This device has the disadvantage that large amounts of energy may be lost as the splice is drawn into the heater chamber due to the vertical action, which leads to inconsistent installations. In addition this device is relatively poor from an ergonomic point of view since it requires considerable stretching on the part of the operators when loading and initiating the cycle.
Another form of heater is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,843. This heater has a horizontal feed in which the wire harness is offered to the device whereupon it is gripped and drawn into a heating chamber and, after the heating step, is returned to its original position and the grippers open allowing ejection of the splice by gravity. Although this heater is ergonomically much better than the vertical heater described above, it suffers from the fact that there is a considerable degree of heat loss from the heating chamber inlet cavity which can cause the device as a whole to become very hot and causes the device to require relatively long heating cycles in order to ensure uniform recovery of the sleeve. In addition, movement of the splice and sleeve to the heating chamber by the device before recovery can cause the sleeve to move with respect to the splice and form an unacceptable insulation.
According to the present invention, there is provided a heating device for recovering a heat-recoverable plastics sleeve about a portion of a wire harness, which comprises a housing having a heating location where the portion of the harness and heat-recoverable sleeve positioned thereon are introduced, a heating unit that is movable between a rearward position in which it is separated from the heating location, and a forward position in which it surrounds the heating location, the heating unit comprising a pair of heating jaws that are caused to open as the heating unit moves toward the heating location and then to close as the heating unit arrives at the heating location, so that the portion of the harness and sleeve are substantially completely enclosed within the heating unit, the jaws being caused to open as the heating unit recedes from the heating location in order to allow the portion of the wire harness and sleeve to be removed.
The heating device according to the present invention has the advantage that it is ergonomically relatively easy to use since the operator need not move the splice very far before it is accepted by the device. In addition, there is very little danger of the sleeve being dislodged from the splice region before recovery thereof since the splice and sleeve do not move once they have been accepted by the device. Furthermore, the device is relatively efficient with regard to heater power and does not lead to overheating of the device housing because the jaws of the heating unit are closed most of the time and open horizontally, thereby reducing heat escape.
The device will normally include a holding arrangement for preventing movement of the splice while being heated. Such an arrangement
REFERENCES:
patent: Re24296 (1957-03-01), Stewart
patent: 3062944 (1962-12-01), Grandel
patent: 3353005 (1967-11-01), Sisson et al.
patent: 3396455 (1968-08-01), Sherlock
patent: 4749843 (1988-06-01), Abramson
patent: 4764662 (1988-08-01), Andersen et al.
Burkard Herbert G.
Jeffery John A.
Novack Sheri M.
Raychem Limited
Reynolds Bruce A.
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