Electrical connectors – Contact comprising cutter – Insulation cutter
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-31
2002-10-08
Nguyen, Khiem (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Contact comprising cutter
Insulation cutter
C439S876000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06461188
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a solderable electrical connection element having the characteristics of the preamble of Claim 1, that is, a solderable electrical connection element, comprising a thin support sheet and at least one metal conductor having at least one contact face which is provided with a solder deposit and which can be joined by soldering this solder deposit to a connection face of another component with which it is associated, characterized in that an insertion piece provided with the solder deposit and passing through the connection element is securely joined to the support sheet in the region of the contact face.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Document DE-C1-195 36 131 discloses a solderable connection element for antenna panes, in which several free contact faces and the associated conducting tracks, which are insulated from one another, are joined to a heat-resistant non-conducting support sheet, an upper sheet layer extending over the contact faces and the soldering points, respectively. The ends of conductors and the free contact faces, respectively, to be soldered are provided with solder deposits soldered to their lower or connection side. These solder deposits are remelted by supplying heat at the place where the actual welded joint is produced and they are durably joined to an associated connection face by pressing them onto the latter. Not provided here is a separating piece intended to ensure a reproducible thickness of the solder layer. At the present time, a system based, at great expense, on delivering a finely metered quantity of solder and on precisely tailored soldering tools and methods, is used so that, during pressing after melting, the soldered joint is formed with a sufficiently uniform thickness and surface distribution.
During the soldering of such connection elements in industrial mass production, only a few seconds are available for each soldering operation, during which the necessary heat must be transmitted through the support sheet to the pretinned contact faces. To optimize heat transfer in the presence of strong temperature attenuation, it is necessary to ensure that the heat supply is as extensive as possible by means of special tools. Likewise, the temperature of the tool must be well above the melting point of the solder. It is again for this reason that the support sheet must be made of a heat-resistant material (usually, polyimide or Kapton), which are very expensive materials compared with other plastics, although its heat resistance is only actually necessary over a small fraction of its total surface area.
Another problem is the reliability of the contact, which can only be checked at great expense, after making the soldered joint, for example by X-ray examination.
In the prior art, the contact zone is provided, on its side facing the corresponding connection area on the pane, with at least one narrow adhesive tape, which extends in a straight line as far as the conducting tracks with a relatively small width. Thus, the connection element may be positioned and temporarily fastened to the window pane. Moreover, the adhesive tape serves to relieve the tensile force in the actual contact zone; if necessary, the tape can also go completely around the contact zone in a ring and thus very extensively protect it from environmental effects (moisture, soiling).
Document DE-C2-43 04 788 discloses a prefabricated laminated component consisting of a thin metal strip and of an insulating sheath, composed of thin layers of plastic sheets, which surrounds the strip. This connection element, also called a flat conductor is provided locally with coaxial holes in the two layers of the insulating sheath and of the metal layer, which holes form a contact window. Into the latter may be introduced molten solder, by means of which the metal strip is securely connected to an electrical conductor installed, for example, on a pane. This construction of a contact window also allows, by serving as an observation window, simple visual inspection of the soldering point. This connection element may also be adhesively bonded to the surface of the pane.
Finally, it is known to provide crimp connectors on such flat conductors, for example, on the one hand, to securely fasten an end plug or electrical switching elements to the conducting tracks and, on the other hand, to electrically connect it (them) to these conducting tracks with a sufficient cross section. A metal insertion piece, with a cross section substantially in the form of a U and with branches at the toothed free ends, is placed on the sheet. The teeth are pressed or forced by means of a suitable manual or mechanical tool through the sheet and, in the manner of a knife contact, through the conducting track and are then turned up laterally, thus producing a joint which is formed by mechanical interlocking and is, furthermore, electrically conducting. In general, incorporated into the abovementioned plastically deformable U-shaped region are contact tabs or bars, or other soldering faces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide another solution for forming solder deposits on solderable electrical connection elements of the type mentioned in the introduction.
In accordance with the invention, this objective is achieved by the characteristics of Claim 1: that is, a solderable electrical connection element, comprising a thin support sheet and at least one metal conductor having at least one contact face which is provided with a solder deposit and which can be joined by soldering this solder deposit to a connection face of another component with which it is associated, characterized in that an insertion piece provided with the solder deposit and passing through the connection element is securely joined to the support sheet in the region of the contact face. The characteristics of the secondary claims provide advantageous improvements of this object. Claim 11 presents, by way of preferred use of at least one connection element according to the invention, that for a window pane, with improvements described in secondary claims 12 and 13.
If the region of the contact point to be furnished with a solder deposit is provided with a metal insertion piece, securely joined to the support sheet and passing through it, this piece thus forms in several regards a better base for the formation of the solder deposit. For example, it is no longer necessary to heat the connection element itself, or alternatively its support sheet, whether the solder deposit is formed, according to a first variant, by soldering a quantity of solder to the insertion piece or whether, according to a second variant, it is fastened only by mechanical interlocking to the support sheet at the same time as the insertion piece.
Particularly preferably, it is necessary to provide a direct contact, or alternatively a direct connection, of the solder deposit with the contact face of the connection element so as to prevent the occurrence of multiple transition resistances. It is not necessarily essential to bring the metal of the insertion piece directly into contact with the conducting track or with the stripped end of the cable. The contact face is soldered directly to the corresponding connection face of the component to be electrically contacted, for example an antenna pane or a heating pane.
However, optionally, there is also the variant consisting in putting the insertion piece into electrical contact with the respective conductor, while the solder deposit is connected directly only to the insertion piece and later, of course, to the respective corresponding connection face. In such a case, that part of the insertion piece which is provided with the solder deposit directly forms the contact face of the respective conductor.
The electrical conductor may have the shape of a conducting track joined flat to the support sheet or embedded in the latter and/or also of a cable joined at least mechanically to the support sheet. In the latter case, the contact face is opportunely formed by removing the insu
Nguyen Khiem
Pennie & Edmonds LLP
Prasad Chandrika
Saint-Gobain Glass France
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