Wire fixing jig

Details Wire fixing jig Wire fixing jig

2001-12-12

2004-03-09

Dunn, Tom (Department: 1725)

Metal fusion bonding

With means to handle work or product

Including means to orient work or position work portion...

C228S004500, C228S001100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06702174

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wire fixing jig for fixing a plurality of covered wires when a circuit is formed by causing the plurality of covered wires to intersect with each other and then welding the wires at points of intersection.
The present application is based on Japanese patent Application No. 2000-387633, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
When a circuit is formed by connecting a plurality of electrical conductors to one another, the electrical conductors are sometimes made to intersect with one another. Then, intersection portions of the electrical conductors are welded to one another by ultrasonic welding. In this case, the electrical conductors are fixed by a wire fixing jig in such a manner as not to shift when the ultrasonic welding is performed.
A conventional wire fixing jig is described in JP-A-9-29445. As shown in
FIG. 5
, this conventional wire fixing jig
13
has a plate-like fixing jig body
3
, on which the electrical conductors
1
are arranged. The jig
13
is further provided with a plurality of accommodating grooves
5
, which are formed in the jig body
3
, and a plurality of through holes
7
formed therein respectively corresponding to the points of intersection of the accommodating grooves
5
.
The accommodating grooves
5
are provided in a grating-like manner in the top surface portion of the fixing jig body
3
. When arranged on the fixing jig body
3
, the electrical conductors
1
are respectively accommodated in the accommodating grooves
5
thereby to be fixed to the fixing jig body
3
.
Further, the through holes
7
are formed at the points of intersection of the accommodating grooves
5
arranged in a grating-like manner, respectively, and each penetrate the fixing jig body
3
from the top surface thereof to the bottom surface thereof. As shown in
FIG. 6
, each of these through holes
7
permits a pair of horns
11
, which serve as welding device for welding intersection portions of electrical conductors
1
arranged in a grating-like manner on the fixing jig body
3
, to penetrate therethrough. Further, the inner peripheral surface of each of the through holes
7
has a diameter that is nearly equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the outer peripheral surface of each of the pair of horns
11
.
When the electrical conductors
1
are connected to one another by using such a wire fixing jig
13
, first, the electrical conductors
1
are accommodated in the accommodating grooves
5
, and the conductors
1
are fixed to the fixing jig body
3
in such a way as to be arranged in a grating-like manner. Subsequently, intersection portions
9
of the electrical conductors
1
fixed to and arranged on the fixing jig body
3
in a grating-like manner are ultrasonic-welded by the pair of horns
11
. At that time, the pair of horns
11
are set so that the diameter of the outer peripheral surface of each of the horns
11
is nearly equal to the diameter of the outer peripheral surface of each of the electrical conductors
1
.
When the intersection portions
9
of the electrical conductors
1
are ultrasonic-welded, the intersection portions
9
and the pair of horns
11
are mutually positioned, as illustrated in FIG.
6
. During this state, the pair of horns
11
are introduced into a corresponding one of the through holes
7
(not shown) from above and below, respectively. Thus, each of the intersection portions
9
of the plurality of electrical conductors
1
is held between a corresponding pair of the electrical conductors
1
.
Then, when each of the intersection portions
9
is ultrasonic-vibrated by the corresponding pair of horns
11
during pressurized therebetween, opposed end portions of the horns
11
are crushed by the corresponding intersection portion
9
, and thus spread in the direction of width thereof, so that the contact area of each of the end portions increases, and that the end portions are welded to each other.
When a plurality of covered wires are ultrasonic-welded by using the wire fixing jig
13
, the wires are first accommodated in the accommodating grooves
5
and then fixed to the fixing jig body
3
in a grating-like manner, and ultrasonic-vibrated by simultaneously pressurizing intersection portions of the covered wires by means of the horns
11
, similarly as in the case of ultrasonic-welding the electrical conductors
1
.
When the covered wires are ultrasonic-vibrated by simultaneously pressurizing the intersection portions of the covered wires by means of the horns
11
, the cover portions of the plurality of covered wires, which are in contact with one another at the intersection portions thereof, and the cover portions of the plurality of covered wires, which are in contact with the horns
11
, are melted by ultrasonic vibration performed by the horns
11
. At that time, the cover portions melted owing to pressurization performed by the horns
11
are extruded outwardly. Moreover, core parts of the wires come into contact with each other in a state in which these core parts are spread in the direction of width thereof.
Then, when ultrasonic vibration is performed on the intersection portions by the horns
11
during the intersection portions are pressurized, the core parts of the intersection portions of the plurality of covered wires, which are in contact with each other, are welded to each other.
However, in the case of the conventional wire fixing jig
13
, each of the electrical conductors
1
is nearly equal in diameter to each of the horns
11
. Each of the through holes
7
is formed in such a way as to have a diameter that is approximately equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of each of the horns
11
. Therefore, the diameter of each of the through holes
7
is almost equal to or slightly larger than that of each of the electrical conductors
1
. Thus, a space formed between the periphery of each of the intersection portions
9
and the inner peripheral surface of a corresponding one of the through holes
7
is small in a state in which the of electrical conductors
1
are arranged on the fixing jig body
3
.
Thus, in the case of using the wire fixing jig
13
for connecting the covered wires, when the cover portions melted owing to the ultrasonic vibration performed by the horns
11
are extruded by being pressurized by means of the horns
11
, there is a fear that the inner peripheral surface of the through hole
7
restrains the extrusion of the melted cover portions, and that the core parts are thus restrained from being spread in the direction of width thereof.
Hence, the wire fixing jig
13
has encountered problems that the core parts of the intersection portions of the covered wires are insufficiently electrically conducted in a state in which the core parts are welded to each other, and that the connection among the covered wires is electrically unstable.
Conversely, when the space formed between the peripheral surface of the corresponding one of the intersection portions and the inner peripheral surface of the corresponding one of the through holes
7
is enlarged by making the diameter of each of the through holes
7
larger than the diameter of the corresponding covered wire, the diameter of each of the through holes
7
becomes large in comparison with that of each of the corresponding horns
11
. Thus, there is a fear that the entire fixing jig body
3
is shifted with respect to the horns
11
when the intersection portions are pressurized and ultrasonic-vibrated by the horns
11
, and in that state, in which the positioning of the intersection portions and the horns
11
is performed, is canceled.
Consequently, in the wire fixing jig
13
, the welding of the core parts at the intersections of the covered wires cannot be reliably performed. Thus, sometimes, the connection between the intersection portions is electrically unstabilized.
Furthermore, when not only the diameters of the thorough holes
7
but the diameters of the horns
11
are set in such a way as to be larg

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