Electrical connectors – Including or for use with tape cable
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-28
2003-11-18
Bradley, P. Austin (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Including or for use with tape cable
C439S077000, C439S067000, C439S493000, C439S494000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06648675
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a method for fitting an object with a cable harness that consists of at least one flexible flat conductor and with electric/electronic devices connected to the at least one flat conductor, as well as a utilization of such a method. The invention furthermore pertains to a system with several electric/electronic devices, with a cable harness that consists of at least one flexible flat conductor and with an object to be fitted with the electric/electronic devices.
2. Background Art
Certain objects need to be fitted with electric and/or electronic devices for numerous applications, wherein the devices are connected to one another or to an existing system with their external connections. If the object with its devices should be connected to another unit or an existing system, a connecting plug is integrated into the electric wiring. Depending on the design of the object, the devices and the intended fitting method, the object is initially fitted with the at least one flat conductor and then with the devices to be mounted thereon. The electric contacts between the devices and the individual conductors of the conductor set are realized with the aid of plug connectors, wherein the conductor ends of a flat conductor section which need to be contacted carry a corresponding plug connector part—that is realized in the form of either a plug or a socket. The electric connections between the conductors and the electrically conductive parts of the plug connector parts arranged on the end of a conductor is usually realized in the form of a crimp connection or with the aid of a joining method.
Flat ribbon-types cables—so-called flexible film conductors—are increasingly utilized as conductor sets for, in particular, fitting larger objects. When equipping larger objects with the required electric/electronic devices, for example, the carrier for the technical components of a door, the flat conductors or the cable harnesses consisting thereof are difficult to handle in the desired arrangement and configuration due to their size and flaccid flexural characteristics. In order to realize such a cable harness, a section of a flat conductor containing the sufficient number of electric conductors is cut to the required size, with the desired configuration of the cable harness being achieved by bending certain flat conductor branches. However, this process is complicated and associated with the risk of breaking the conductors at the bending points when the bends are produced in order to achieve the desired change in direction of a flat conductor branch. This is the reason why this bending process needs to be carried out very carefully.
The mechanized manufacture of such a cable harness consisting of a large flat conductor section can only be realized with an unjustifiably high expenditure. In addition, all conductors of the cable harness have the same cross-sectional surface such that current-bearing lines and signaling lines cannot be assembled together. It would also be possible to manufacture such a cable harness by connecting individual flat conductors that, if applicable, may also have different dimensions and may be assembled differently by means of suitable connectors, for example, jumper connectors. However, this would require that all conductors of the individual flat conductors which need to be electrically connected to one another be equipped with such connectors.
The aforementioned problems in the complicated handling of such a cable harness can (theoretically) be prevented if the objects are equipped with the required electric lines in accordance with the so-called MID-technique (Moulded Interconnect Device). In this method, the strip conductors are usually applied onto the object by means of a printing process. Small openings, into which a contact pin is soldered, serve for contacting the devices arranged on the object. This contact pin can then be contacted by means of a plug connector. However, the MID-technique is not suitable for fitting large objects, in particular, if the cross-sectional surface of the conductors used should have a certain size as is, for example, the case with the cable harness assigned to a carrier for the technical components of a motor vehicle door.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Based on the previously discussed state of the art, the invention aims to develop a method for fitting an object of the initially described type which not only makes it possible to fit larger objects with, if so required, different flat conductors in order to realize a cable harness, but can also be easily and economically carried out with only a few steps, namely even when handling cable harnesses with highly flaccid flexural characteristics.
The invention also aims to develop a system of the initially described type which makes it possible to fit, if so required, larger objects with individually designed cable harnesses consisting of flat conductors by simple means and with justifiable expenditure.
The objective of the invention is attained due to the fact that, in order to realize the respective plug connector parts for contacting the electric/electronic devices to be mounted thereon, the object contains an element for realizing one part of the plug connector, and the electric/electronic devices to be mounted contain a complementary plug connector part.
In one embodiment of the invention, the object, for example, a carrier for the technical components of a door, serves as the mounting table and workpiece carrier, onto which at least one flat conductor of the intended size is placed and fixed in its intended configuration in order to realize a cable harness. Since the cable harness that, if so required, may also have a large size is actually placed directly onto the object, an isolated handling of the cable harness alone, e.g., from another support surface onto the object, is avoided. The sections of the flat conductors which need to be contacted with the electric/electronic devices are stripped before the flat conductor is arranged on the object, preferably on only one side. The conductors in the flat conductor section which need to be contacted are exposed in this fashion.
However, the object not only serves as the mounting table, but also contains elements for realizing one part of the plug connector by utilizing the stripped flat conductor sections. These sections of the flat conductors are arranged on the object such that they extend over such an element. The elements for realizing the plug connector may, for example, consist of a contact segment that protrudes from the object if the object should contain a male plug connector part. However, if the object should contain a female plug connector part, the element may consist of a square opening in the object.
The electric/electronic devices used respectively contain a complementary plug connector part that is realized in the form of a socket for contacting a male plug connector part situated on the object or in the form of a male plug connector part that is inserted into the opening in the object. In the latter instance, the section of the film conductor which lies on the opening is also drawn into the opening during the inserting process such that the opening with the loop-like flat conductor section held therein subsequently forms a socket. The electric/electronic devices are suitably mounted on the object, for example, by means of screw connections or clip-on connections.
In another embodiment of the invention, the cable harness is not produced on the object, but rather on a intermediate carrier. In this case, the surface of the intermediate carrier on which several flat conductors are usually arranged has a negative surface in reference to the surface of the object to be fitted. The utilization of such an intermediate carrier is sensible in instances in which the realization of the cable harness on the object requires steps that possibly could damage the object.
For example, an intermediate carrier is used if individual flat conductors or the electric condu
Bendicks Norbert
Drees Roland
Eesders Berthold
Kerkmann Detlef
Welschholz Jorg
Bradley P. Austin
Brooks & Kushman P.C.
León Edwin A.
Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG
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