Electricity: conductors and insulators – Conduits – cables or conductors – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-26
2003-06-10
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Conduits, cables or conductors
Combined
C174S09400S
Reexamination Certificate
active
06576842
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connection structure of an electric wire capable of connecting conductive wires of at least two coated electric wires by ultrasonic vibration.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a known connection structure of electric wire disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.H7-320842.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, in this connection structure of electric wire, two conductive wires
1
are coated with resin coating members
3
to form two coated electric wires W
1
and W
2
, and the electric wires W
1
and W
2
are connected by a predetermined connection portion S in its axial direction, and the connection structure includes a pair of resin chips
53
and
55
for covering the connection portion S from above and below. When the coated electric wires W
1
and W
2
are connected to each other, a horn
57
for generating ultrasonic vibration and an anvil
59
for supporting the coated electric wires W
1
, W
2
and the resin chips
53
,
55
when the wires are connected are used.
The anvil
59
includes a base
61
and a support portion
63
, the support portion
63
is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape. The support portion
63
is provided with an inner diameter portion
65
whose upper side (side far from the base) is opened. The opposed peripheral walls
63
a
and
63
b
of the support portion
63
are provided with a pair of grooves
67
and a pair of grooves
69
which are opposed to each other. The four grooves
67
and
69
are opened at the same side as that of the inner diameter portion
65
and formed in a projecting direction of the support portion
63
. The opposed grooves
67
and
69
are in communication with each other through the inner diameter portion
65
.
Each of the chips
53
and
55
is formed into a circular plate-like shape having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter portion
65
, and an end surface
71
a
of a head
71
of the horn
57
is a formed cylindrical shape having an outer diameter substantially equal to or slightly smaller than the resin chips
53
and
55
.
To connect the two coated electric wires W
1
and W
2
, they are superposed on each other at the connection portion S, the superposed connection portion S is sandwiched between the pair of chips
53
and
55
from above and below. More specifically, the (lower) resin chip
55
is inserted into the inner diameter portion
65
of the anvil
59
such that a welding surface
55
a
is turned upward, and the one coated electric wire W
1
is inserted into the opposed groove
67
from above, and the other electric wire W
2
is inserted into the other opposed grooves
69
from above, and finally, the other (upper) resin chip
53
is inserted such that a welding surface
53
a
is turned down. The coated electric wires W
1
and W
2
are disposed such that the connection portions S thereof cross at the central portion of the inner diameter portion
65
, and with this arrangement, the connection portions S are sandwiched from above and below in the superposing direction between welding surfaces
53
a
and
55
a
at substantially the center of the upper and lower resin chips
53
and
55
.
Next, the resin coats
3
of the connection portions S are scattered and welded by ultrasonic vibration, and the conductive wires (core wires)
1
of the coated electric wires W
1
and W
2
are pressure welded to each other the connection portion by pressurizing from outside of the resin chips
53
and
55
. Thereafter, the pair of resin chips
53
and
55
are welded at the welding surfaces
53
a
and
55
a
to seal the connection portion S.
More specifically, the head
71
of the horn
57
is inserted from above the upper (other) resin chip
53
which was inserted last, the connection portion S is pressurized and vibrated between the horn
57
and the anvil
59
from outside of the upper and lower resin chips
53
and
55
. With this operation, the resin coats
3
of the connection portion S are first welded, and the conductive wire
1
in the connection portion S is exposed from the resin coats
3
. Then, the conductive wires
1
are pressure welded by compression force from above and below. At that time, the resin coats in the connection portion S and the resin chips
53
and
55
are joined by welding.
If the pressuring and vibrating operations are continued, the resin chips
53
and
55
are welded with the resin coats
3
at the connection portion S, and the welding surfaces
53
a
and
55
a
of the resin chips
53
and
55
are also welded to each other. With this, the conductive wire
1
which was exposed from the resin coats
3
and pressurized is coated with the resin chips
53
and
55
.
In the conventional connection structure of the coated electric wires, however, there is a problem that water may enter the pressure welded conductive wires
1
from between the resin chips
53
and
55
and between the resin coats
3
and the resin chips
53
and
55
. Thus, the resistance to water is not sufficient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been accomplished to solve the above problem, and it is an object of the invention to provide a connection structure of coated electric wires capable of reliably preventing water from entering a pressure welded conductive wire.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connection structure of a coated electric wire, having at least two coated electric wires which are superposed and resin chips disposed above and below the superposed connection portion of the coated electric wires. The resin chips being compressed from above and below and ultrasonic vibration being applied thereto, thereby melting resin coats in the coated electric wires to pressure weld conductive wires. The resin chips and resin coats are thus melted and thereby all joined together. The connection structure also includes resin sealings, each having rubber elasticity, provided between the upper resin chip and the coated electric wires and between the lower resin chip and the coated electric wires. The sealings may comprise a ferrite.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a connection structure of a coated electric wire having at least two coated electric wires which are superposed and resin chips disposed above and below the superposed portion of the coated electric wires. The resin chips have been compressed from above and below and ultrasonic vibration has been applied thereto, thereby melting resin coats in the coated electric wires to pressure weld the conductive wires. The resin chips and resin coats are thus melted and thereby all joined together.
This aspect also includes resin sealings having rubber elasticity. The sealings annularly surround the perimeter of the connection portion such that exposed and joined conductive wires are within the perimeter. The sealings are placed between the upper resin chip and the coated electric wires and between the lower resin chip and the coated electric wires, and may be a predetermined distance removed from the conductive wires. The sealings may comprise a ferrite and may be inserted into grooves formed in the resin chips.
In the first aspect, if the upper and lower resin chips are pressurized from above and below while applying ultrasonic vibration, the connection portion of the coated electric wires are first compressed. Thus, the resin coats of the connection portion start melting, and the conductive wires exposed from the coated electric wires are pressure welded to each other by the pressure from above and below. At that time, the resin coats of the connection portion and the upper and lower resin chips are melted and joined to each other.
As the resin coats in the connection portion S are melted, the upper and lower resin chips approach each other. Thus, the upper and lower sealings having rubber elasticity approach each other and surround the upper or lower half of the resin coats located at a position separated from the connection p
Mayo III William H.
Reichard Dean A.
Yazaki -Corporation
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