Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Insulated
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-23
2004-02-03
Nguyen, Chau N. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Insulated
Reexamination Certificate
active
06686544
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wiring material which is, for example, used in a harness for a car and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Background Art
Generally, as a flexible wiring material for use in a vehicle, there is known a flat cable composed of a plurality of flat conductors (for example, rectangular conductors) arranged in the width direction thereof and covered by an insulating-material. Such flat cable has various advantages: for example, it is small in thickness and excellent in flexibility as well as, because it can be curved, the direction thereof can be changed freely.
As means for securing the current capacity of the rectangular conductor, there are available several means; for example, means for increasing the width of the rectangular conductor, means for increasing the number of rectangular conductors and making a circuit using a plurality of rectangular conductors, and means for increasing the thickness of the rectangular conductor to thereby increase the section area of the rectangular conductor.
By the way, in the case of a flat cable, a terminal is connected to the end portion of the flat cable and the thus connected terminal is fitted with a connector to thereby form a wiring material; and, the thus-formed wiring material is connected to an apparatus such as a motor. As the connector to be fitted with the terminal, it is preferred to use an existing connector and, therefore, in the flat cable, the arrangement pitch and width of the rectangular conductors must be designed so as to conform to an existing terminal.
In case where the width of the rectangular conductor is increased in order to secure the required current capacity, the design of the connector must be changed greatly so as to correspond to the thus increased width of the rectangular conductor. In this case, however, the flat cable including the width-increased rectangular conductor cannot be connected to the existing terminal. Also, in case where, in order to secure the current capacity of the rectangular conductors, the number of rectangular conductors is increased and a plurality of rectangular conductors are allotted to one circuit, the widths of the connector and flat cable must be increased, which makes it necessary to change the shape of the existing connector. Further, in case where, in order to secure the current capacity of the rectangular conductor, the thickness of rectangular conductors is increased, the thickness of the flat cable is increased accordingly to thereby lower the flexibility of the flat cable, with the result that the flat cable is not be able to fulfill its original function.
As a method for solving the above problems, there is known a method which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application, First Publication Nos. Hei.3-4464 and Hei.3-4465.
That is, in the above-cited publication, there is disclosed a method in which, as shown in
FIG. 16
, the width of a flat cable is increased to thereby increase the width of rectangular conductors included in the flat cable so as to secure the required current capacity of the flat cable; and, the leading end portion of the flat cable is drawn or narrowed so as to conform to the pitch width of the cavity of an existing connector, and the flat cable is then connected to the existing connector. However, in case where the end portion of the flat cable is drawn in this manner, there arise not only a problem that the current capacity of the flat cable is limited and thus a desired current is not allowed to flow, but also a problem that the resistance of the drawn portion increases and thus heat is generated in the drawn portion. Also, in case where such drawn portion is formed in the flat cable, the dimension of the flat cable cannot be adjusted at an arbitrary position, which makes it impossible to produce the flat cable continuously.
Moreover, since the flat cable disclosed in the above-cited publication is quite irregular in the shape of the end portion thereof, continuous manufacture of the flat cable is substantially impossible: that is, the flat cable is poor not only in the mass productivity but also in the yield rate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at eliminating the drawbacks found in the above-mentioned wiring materials. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a wiring material in which not only the widths of the main body portions of the respective conductors thereof can be expanded to thereby increase the current capacity thereof but also, without reducing the mass productivity and yield rate thereof, the terminal end portions of the respective conductors can be matched to terminals to be connected to the respective conductors, and a method for manufacturing such wiring material.
It is another object of the invention to provide a wiring material structured such that not only flat cables thereof can be formed so as to conform to an existing connector while securing the required current capacity thereof but also the flexibility of the flat cables are not degraded.
In attaining the above object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a wiring material comprising a plurality of flat cables, each of the plurality of flat cables including a plurality of conductors arranged in the width direction thereof and an insulating body for covering the outer surfaces of the respective conductors, wherein the respective conductors of the respective flat cables include in the end portions thereof terminal fixing portions formed smaller in width than the main body portions of their respective conductors for fixation of connecting terminals thereto, and the plurality of flat cables are superimposed on top of one another in the thickness direction thereof in such a manner that the terminal fixing portions are shifted in position from one another in the width direction thereof and are thereby arranged at the same pitch as the arrangement pitch of the connecting terminals.
According to the present structure, simply by superimposing a plurality of flat cables on top of one another, each flat cable including terminal fixing portions formed in the end portions of the respective conductors, the terminal fixing portions can be arranged in the width direction thereof at the same pitch as the connecting terminal arrangement pitch. Therefore, while not only expanding the widths of the main body portions of the respective conductors but also preventing the end portions of the conductors of the respective flat cables from being formed in irregular shapes, the end portions of the present conductors and their respective connecting terminals can be matched together.
Here, the concrete formation positions of the terminal fixing portions in the respective flat cables are not limitative but the flat cables may be superimposed on top of one another in such a manner that the terminal fixing portions can be finally arranged at a given terminal arrangement pitch. For example, there can be employed a structure in which the flat cables are set equal to one another in the number and arrangement pitch of the conductors and, between the flat cables, the formation positions of the terminal fixing portions of the respective conductors are shifted from one another in the width direction thereof by the above-mentioned connecting terminal arrangement pitch. That is, in this case, by employing flat cables which are equivalent to one another in the basic arrangement thereof, the mass productivity thereof can be enhanced further and the terminal fixing portions can be arranged at a given arrangement pitch without shifting the flat cable superimposed positions in the width direction thereof from one another.
Therefore, by fixing the connecting terminals to the their respective terminal fixing portions of the present wiring material, there can be easily obtained a wiring material with a connector in which the connecting terminals are inserted into the common connector housing in such a manner that they are arranged at the above-mentioned arrangement pitch.
By th
Autonetworks Technologies Ltd.
Nguyen Chau N.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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