BE504950A - - Google Patents

Description

       

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  MULTI-CORE ELECTRICAL CABLES PERFECTION.



   The present invention relates to multiple conductor cables produced as flat ribbons. Tapes of this kind can be used to advantage for panel wiring, prefabricated circuits, aircraft electrical installations and the like, where the flat tape has advantages over the usual type of cable, signage and advertising equipment, tapes. heating toroidal windings and other inductive or non-conductive metal delay lenses, etc. The invention also includes devices and methods for making connections and interconnections between these tapes and / or other elements to which they are applied.



   One problem encountered in the manufacture of multi-conductor cables with a flat section (ribbon cables) is the difficulty of producing sufficiently safe, inexpensive and space-saving insulation for the edges of the conductors; another problem raised by the application of the known methods of manufacturing cables by extrusion or otherwise is the difficulty of economically establishing dies or tools for the great diversity of cables corresponding to the various applications, especially if each of them is not available. 'is only necessary for a limited quantity; difficulties are still encountered if the tape is to be thin.



   These difficulties are eliminated, according to the present invention, by the interposition of a solid insulation in the form of fibers or sheets between the flat conductors, for example by a weaving, braiding or the like process, if the insulation is. a fiber or a web, or by an interlacing and binding process if it is a solid film or sheet, such as a paper, fabric or plastic weft.



   According to the invention, such a cable is manufactured by a method which comprises the operations of inserting a solid, thin insulation between and along several conductors, of flat section., Located substantially in the same plane., and securing the conductors and insulation together to form a cohesive structure. Insulation can be advantageously inserted between the conductors by simultaneously bringing the conductors and the insulation to a point where the insertion takes place. Fixing the conductors

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 and insulation can be provided by additional insulation extending over the conductors and this additional insulation can be integral with the insulation between the conductors.

   The additional insulation can extend over several alternating conductors, on opposite sides or on the same side of all the conductors, or even on both sides. The insulation may be of the fibrous type and be attached to the conductor by weaving, braiding or by a similar process which preferably does not require the conductors to be bent back and forth easily. repeated lesson, that is, the insulation is braided or looped around the conductors. Preferably, there are at least two longitudinal fibers between adjacent conductors, with a diameter at least equal to the thickness of the conductors; this arrangement ensures that the conductors will be kept insulated from each other in the event of considerable deformation and manipulation of the ribbon cable.



   The conductors can be thin foil or foil, depending on the current to be carried, and can be produced by slitting or cutting the edges of a wide foil or foil. They can also be drawn wires, of flat section or be produced by flattening., (For example by rolling) wires of round section.



   Two important categories of insulation which can be used in carrying out the invention are inorganic insulation which can withstand high temperatures, such as for example glass fibers or asbestos, and the substances which are used. in the solid state for the manufacture of the cable but which can then be made temporarily plastic, for example by heat or by solvents .. to subsequently allow thinning, consolidation or other operations ..



   The tape produced by the invention may be provided with other coatings, coatings or wraps to insulate it and to further protect it.



   It will be understood that when the term "coplanar" is used to define the position of the conductors in the ribbon cable, this means that in a section of the ribbon, their long sides are generally placed parallel to the faces of the ribbon. Of course, the strip being flexible can be put in such a shape that it is no longer flat either longitudinally or transversely.



   The invention extends to other features which will become apparent from the following description, and by reference to the accompanying schematic drawings by way of example only.



   In these drawings, which are on an enlarged scale -.



   Fig. 1 is a plan view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention, based on a weaving method.



   Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of Figure 1.



   Figures 3 to 7 are longitudinal sections of other embodiments based on weaving.



   Figures 8 and 9 are plan views of two embodiments of the invention based on a braiding method.



   Fig. 10 is a sectional view of another embodiment based on the use of a membrane-shaped insulator.



   Figures 11 and 12 are cross sections of an embodiment based on the use of an insulation which can be made plastic and adhesive.



   FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating another method of applying the invention using an insulation in the form of a membrane.



   Figures 14 and 15 are sectional views of two embodiments of ribbon cables produced by the method of Figure 13.

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   Figure 16 is a perspective view of a device which can be used to prepare conductive cores from a sheet of metal foil and space them laterally.



   Figures 17 and 18 are cross sections showing the outer protection of a ribbon cable made in accordance with the invention.



   Figures 19 to 24 show a method for joining two ends of ribbon cables according to the invention.



   Figures 25 to 27 illustrate a method for the interconnection of the terminals of an electrical equipment by the ribbon cable of the invention.



   Figures 28 to 31 illustrate a method for making a temporary connection between two ribbon cables according to the invention.



   Figure 32 shows in perspective, a braided structure comprising several ribbon cables.



   Figure 33 shows, in perspective, the fabrication of an "infinite" inductor from the ribbon cable.



   Figures 1 to 7 all relate to a ribbon obtained by weaving. The cores may be active elements in the weaving operation, that is to say, they may constitute chains which are formed in a crisscross pattern for the passage of the wefts., But it is preferred not to space out. cer the cores, which avoids the repeated bending to which they would be exposed by the nib and which would be particularly undesirable with the flat section conductors used in the realization of the invention. For example, referring to Figures 1 and 2, there are three warps or threads 1, 2, 3, which may be single or multiple fibers of nylon or glass between adjacent conductive cores 4, for example strips of foil of copper, and with them are woven wefts 5, 6,

     for example in nylon or glass fibers with a diameter not greater than the chains which have a diameter at least equal to the thickness of the cores 4. The wefts 5 all pass on one side of the cores and the wefts 6 on the other side, and the interlocking is carried out so that the chains 1 and 5 are always in the same plane of the cores, the chains 2 being external to the wefts 5 and 6 alternately, as indicated in FIG. 2. The wefts can advantageously be spaced apart at the same time. maximum distance that will hold the tape in place, taking into account any additional insulation or protection that may be applied to it later, and the use for which it is intended.

   The ribbon may be woven on a narrow ribbon loom, of the usual multi-shuttle type, provided with a web roll or beam and with trimming and spacing shear devices which produce the webs. from a large band of customers, these devices being described later in relation to figure 18. The chains 1, 3 and the cores 4 will not be threaded in the threads of the trade, or, if they are, these strands are not crisscrossed, and to allow minimum spacing between webs., combs can be omitted because .. with wide weft spacing, pushback can be omitted.

   On the edges of the tape., There may be additional warp fibers not included in the cross and also., If desired, fibers included in the cross to prevent the trailing from being directly entrained. over the edges of the webs with risk of cuts and with no longitudinal insulation.



   To produce the structure shown in figure 3, four chains will be used between the adjacent cores, for example the two which are adjacent to the cores (equivalent to 1 and 3 of figures 1 and 2), without a cross, the other two 2a and 2b being cross so that each passes over a frame 5, then under two 6, 5, then over a 6, and so on., both being relatively offset by two frames. With equal spacing and equal yarn thickness, this structure has the same weft density and the same arrangement with respect to the cores as those of Figures 1 and 2, but a greater warp density.



   The structure shown in figure 4 again has 4 chains between adjacent cores, two of them, for example those which are immediately

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 diatly adjacent to the webs (equivalent to 1 and 5 of Figures 1 and 2) not being taken in a cross, the other two 2a and 2b being crossed and woven with two sets of wefts 5a, 6a and 5b, 6b respectively. In fact this structure is a doubling of that of Figures 1 and 2 and gives a denser coverage as a result.



   In Figures 1 to 4, the distribution of the weft is the same on both sides of the tape. In figures 5, 6 and 7 it is uneven.



  Tapes made in accordance with Figures 5 and 7 lend themselves to reducing the total tape thickness by pressure; this pressure will produce a slight ripple in the souls; all these figures 5 to 7 it is understood that there will also be four chains between adjacent cores, two of them, for example the two which are not immediately adjacent to the cores (equivalent to 1 and 3 of figures 1 and 2) not being crisscrossed and the other two 2a and 2b being crisscrossed and woven with the frames.



   In Figure 5, for each weft 5 on one side of the tape, there are two 6a, 6b, on the other side. The two chains pass over each of the wefts 5, but the warp 2a passes under the wefts 6a and over the wefts 6b, while the warp 2b passes over the wefts 6a, and under the wefts 6b.



   In figure 6, as in figure 4, there are two sets of opposing frames 5a, 6a and 6b, 6b and further, as in figure 5, there are two additional frames 6c, 6d between the frames 6a, 6b, so that the weft density is four times greater on one side than on the other.



  One warp 2a goes over all wefts 5a and 6a, and over and under the alternate wefts Tc, and under and over the alternate wefts while the other warp 2b passes through- above all wefts 5b and 6b, and above and below the alternate wefts 6.2. ¯ and below and over the alternate wefts 6d.



   In figure 7, one warp 2a is woven- with a set of frames 5, 6, just like in figures 1 and 2, while the other warp 2b also passes over each of the wefts 5, 6, but more , are woven with the two additional wefts 6a, 6b, both on the same side as the wefts 6, passing, in order, over 6a, under 6 and over 6b.



   It is clear that Figures 1-7 are only examples and as many other structures, various overlap densities are also possible, there may also be more than two uncrossed chains between adjacent cores.



   Uncrossed chains provide secure insulation from core to core. The relative stiffness of the flat conductors in the ribbon plane and the tight weave also help to ensure the relative immobility of the conductors with respect to each other in the ribbon plane, while still providing a multi-core or multi-core cable. extraordinary flexibility perpendicular to the tape surface.

   In some cases, neighboring cores or cores may be spaced apart by relatively wide gaps, as in the application to metal retarder lenses, for cathode ray tubes or prefabricated circuits comprising two superimposed layers with parallel conductors, the conductors of one layer being at a constant angle with respect to those of the other, in the assembly of instrument panels, coded cards, etc. In such a case, one or more strips of impregnated paper can be used, films or any other type of sheet type insulating material, instead of the two uncrossed warp yarns described above.



   Instead of weaving the insulating fibers around the cores, these fibers can be "inter-looped" by any convenient knitting mechanism, allowing the passage of the cores. Figures 8 and 9 are examples where 7 are cores or cores and 8 are fibers.



   Another method is to combine a flexible insulation membrane, such as a film or fabric or paper, impregnated with the

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 souls.



   One way to do this is shown in Figure 10.



  A flexible insulating strip 11, for example of asbestos, or of any paper or fabric, impregnated if desired. oil, varnish or other flexible insulating substance or a thermoplastic or other insulating composition, such as a cellulose or vinyl derivative, or a rubber-like material, is shaped by rollers, for example, in a straight section with spaced ribs 12 substantially "U" shaped and the height of which is preferably at least equal to the thickness of the cores. The conductive cores 13 are placed in the wide grooves between the ribs. For example the strip 11 and the cores 13 can be fed simultaneously at a point where they are placed together by guide rollers.

   The cores can come from a drum on which they are already wound at an appropriate spacing, or one can slit a wide sheet of tinsel, deburr it and space it in its path to the meeting point, for example by the means described below in connection with figure 16. At the point of assembly, the webs 13 are attached to the strip 11. If the material itself is not or cannot be made adhesive, this may perform with an adhesive or cement. It can be, for example, a pressure sensitive or heat softening or hardening adhesive with which the web 11 has been impregnated or coated and rollers, heated if necessary, can be used for pressing. souls in firm contact.

   Preferably, the adhesive or cement secures the edges of the core 13 to the ribs 12 so that the insulation between adjacent cores is securely maintained. The end edges of the strip 11 can be folded over the end webs, as shown on the right side of the figure, at 14.



   Figure 11 illustrates the extreme minimum form of ribbon cable produced in accordance with the invention. Here, the conductive cores 21 are separated and secured together only by the adhesion of the solid insulation 22 between the cores. One way to produce this ribbon cable is to feed with the cores 21 and juxtaposed separate strips 23 (Figure 12) of plastically deformable, but strong insulating material, of thickness slightly greater than that of the cores., And with a cross-sectional area sufficient to provide the necessary insulation section in the finished tape cable, pressure devices, such as rollers, which prevent lateral sliding of the webs and plastically deform the insulating tapes.

   This deformation causes the strip 23 to take the 'final shape 22 of figure' 11 and in doing so, to press laterally against the edges of the cores and to adhere thereto. If the nature of the insulation so requires, heat can be applied simultaneously using heated rollers and subsequently cooling, if necessary, for example by cold rolls. Alternatively, the strips 23 can be plasticized by the use of a solvent and heat can also be applied if necessary. Tape produced in this way will generally require at least additional insulation on one side and in most cases mechanical protection as well.



   Another way of applying the invention is by braiding, as shown in figure 13. In this figure, a series of conductive cores 31, sufficiently spaced to receive the insulation, are brought between rollers 32 and from there the alternating cores pass up and down on guide rollers 33, 34, thus forming a crisscross. A membrane 35, made of film, paper, fabric or other flexible insulating material ;, is fed into the nock, from the side, and guided in the direction of the webs 31 by means of a roller 36 mounted in the nock and of which the axis is inclined at 45 on the direction of the web.

   The cores 31 pass over other guide rollers 37,38, and are then pressed on both sides on the membrane 35 by means of calendering rolls 39 and adhere to the membrane either by heat sealing or by means of an adhesive. , or both ;, the membrane having been suitably impregnated or coated before being sent to the device described, or being made of a material suitable for heat sizing.



  The alternating cores are then separated by the insulating membrane 33 and repo-

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 feels on both sides, as shown for example in Figures 14 and 15.



  In Figure 12 the webs 31 are widely spaced, while in Figure 13 the spacing is just sufficient to accommodate the insulation 35.



   If the calendering is carried out under high pressure, the core spacings are precise and if the membrane is sufficiently deformable, a tape can be obtained just the thickness of the foil and the membrane together, the thickness of said membrane. membrane being the only gap between adjacent webs either according to a single rectangular coordinate of the cross section, as in figure 14, or according to the two coordinates of the cross section of the tape, as in figure 15.

   In the methods of manufacture by weaving or knitting, it is also possible to reduce the thickness of the tape by using a thermoplastic or soluble weft yarn, and by calendering the tape under pressure and hot, in the presence of a solvent or d 'a softener so as to transform the weft yarn into either a surface coating of the tape or an impregnation of the warp yarns or both, or one can simply reduce its thickness and flatten the tape for use in windings, etc. Tape made according to any of the above methods will generally be impregnated or surface coated by any of the well known impregnation or coating methods.

   For example, the tape can be passed through a bath of liquid insulation or covered with an insulating tape or, in order to give it a metallic screen or protection, it can be covered with an insulating tape covered with metallic foil. .



   Figure 13, among others, assumes a supply of prepared and properly spaced cores. One way to do this is shown in Figure 16. In this figure, a metal foil supply roll or spool 41, of sufficient width to supply all the cores after trimming the edges, is supplied to an indicated cutter. by a rotating upper cutting device 40 and a lower roller or cutter 43. From this point, the alternate cut cores 44 are separated by guide bars or rollers 45, 46, into two groups, the edges of deburring 47 being removed by bar or roller 46.

   By means of a pair of parallel rollers 48, 49, not inclined with respect to the direction of movement of the webs, each web except one, preferably the central web, is moved laterally, parallel to it. even, the displacement being increased with each successive soul, from the non-displaced soul, so that the souls are spaced laterally, at the desired distances.



  They can be brought back to the same plane by passing over another bar or roller 50, but when the method of FIG. 13 has to be used, the apparatus of FIG. 16 can constitute the crossover device, taking the place. rollers 32, 33, 34. It will be appreciated that with regard to the lateral spacing of the webs, the only reason for crossing the webs into two groups, in the apparatus of Figure 16, is to provide a convenient space for the rollers 48, 49. The equipment can be provided at any suitable point after the cutting device with any known deburring device for smoothing the edges of the cut cores.

   The cores emerging from the apparatus of Figure 16 can go straight to the point where they are assembled with the insulation or they can be wound on a suitable core or roll for storage and subsequent assembly with the insulation.



   One can of course simply cut the cores, in the foil, wind them separately onto spools and mount the latter at appropriate spacings to feed the assembly point. FIG. 17 shows a tape according to the invention, generally indicated at 51, covered with an insulating tape 52, the overlapping margins of which can be fixed together for example by the effect of adhesion of an impregnation product, while Figure 18 shows another tape according to the invention, generally indicated by 53, covered with a metallic foil 55 coated with insulation on the back, the insulating back of which 54 is against the ribbon cable 55;

   As an example., the insulating back foil 55 is shown projecting over the insulating back 54, the overlapping portions being formed into a joint 56 which, if it does, can be further sealed by soldering, soldering. , collage or the like.

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   An inorganic insulating tape, such as a woven or knitted glass fiber tape as described above, and impregnated with silicone varnish and / or covered with asbestos paper or glass fiber tape, with or without an outer coating of metallic foil, could be used up to high temperatures, being free of the usual organic insulating materials, while remaining extremely flexible.

   If the foil coating of a tape of the type shown in Figure 18 is of a suitable ferromagnetic metal the coating can be magnetized so as to form an assembly which will adhere to any structure or steel part (bolts, nails , etc.) in a wall or elsewhere, and which therefore lends itself to the rapid establishment of certain types of rapid wiring, heating devices, etc.



  In permanent installations, this magnetic attachment can be used for the placement of the tape which is then mechanically fixed in the necessary places. It is even possible to make the cores themselves out of steel or other magnetizable material, which can be phosphated or protected against corrosion in some other way. Then, if the cores or the coating, or both, are magnetized, the adhesion between the coating and the tape is increased beyond that produced by the silicone varnish or other covering or impregnation product used. between the tape and the cover.

   A pressure sensitive adhesive cover on one side of the tape or its covering will bond the tape cable to any surface, allowing temporary or permanent wiring to be performed quickly and conveniently.



   If the covering or coating of the tape cores is of a material such as a thermoplastic varnish, wax, bituminous compound, or the like, which softens or melts at soft or autogenous welding temperatures, the joints welded to the weld soft or autogenous can be made to the cores without the need to remove the insulation prior to the joining operation. Soft soldering, in particular, is facilitated, through such overlays, if the core used in the conductive tape is of tinned metal, for example tinned copper foil or flattened and tinned copper wire.



   In multi-core cables, it is advantageous to have a visible means of identification for the various conductors, and therefore insulation materials of various colors or of various braiding configurations, etc. are often used. to insulate each of the conductors before bundling them into a multi-core cable.

   In the flat cable of the present invention, the same method can be used and the conductive tape made with different colored warp wires as interleaves and / or metal strips coated with different lacquers as conductors, but there are also a new and more advantageous method, namely that of printing on the flat ribbon a repeating design, which not only identifies the cores but also indicates the destination of the particular ribbon. This print can use the length and width of the ribbon and both sides.

   The identification of the soul itself is greatly facilitated by the orderly position of the souls in the ribbon and this peculiarity, together with the possibility of escaping the color codes restricted by the large variations possible in a large design. award-winning, include numbering or letter coding or explanatory test, as well as the use of various configurations on both sides of the ribbon and multi-color printing, make core identification and guidance for ribbon use much more easy. What is also very important is the fact that the configuration can have two dimensions, so as not only to identify and guide the user as to the cross section of the tape, but also to give the information at the necessary intervals. along the ribbon.

   The repeating pattern printed can be used, for example, to indicate the length, for example in meters, to facilitate the sectioning of the tape into segments, or to locate the lines of curvature, folds, the places of the junctions to other components , etc ... The design printed on the ribbon can itself be used to make a configuration of parallel cores on the ribbon by using a non-etchable ink drawing and by subjecting the ribbon to a chemical etching bath such as described in

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 British Patent No. 638,111 relating to a metal foil with an insulating back.

   In this case, the insulating back can be constituted by an overall covering on the back of the tape, in correspondence with the printing on the front of the tape, the woven or knitted threads or the entangled insulation serving to hold the cores. parallel to each other; Printing of the ribbon can be performed by silk grid methods or ribbon printing devices.



   It will be understood that the capacitance between the flat webs of the ribbon is small and in series across the width of the ribbon. The capacitance between each core and an outer screen, for example in foil covered tape, as in Figure 16, is high and nearly equal for each core.



  This arrangement is quite satisfactory for most applications, but is not always desirable in working at audible or high frequencies, such as in wiring switches, selectors or other devices in telephone offices. . These capacities, of course .. can be adjusted, and effects similar to those obtained with twisted pairs of wires can be achieved by bending the ribbon in a line between the cores, so that the straight cores are superimposed, or by folding along lines inclined with respect to the length of the tape, so that the webs cross. The angle of inclination can change from an obtuse angle to an acute angle with successive bends.

   A similar effect can be achieved by winding a ribbon onto a flat strip or by braiding two or three narrower ribbons and flattening the tubular braid into a double layered flat ribbon. It is also possible to twist the conductors during the weaving operation so as to cause them to change positions in the tape periodically, by inserting, at intervals, a flat insulating strip as a weft and by folding two neighboring cores twice so that they 'they cross each other in the width of the weft band which separates them. For this the souls must pass separately through the loom and the loom must have a mechanism similar to that which is used for gauze or patterned linen fabrics, to cross the souls.

   It is also possible to use a similar deformation or folding of the tape along lines inclined at intervals not for reasons of electrical adjustment but to bring certain cores to the edges of the tape for connection purposes, for example for welding to contacts in banks. single-selector switches, relays, fuses, signal lamps, etc.



  Cables intended for use with selector switches, for example with single selector motor switches, may have loops in each core, at regular intervals, and staggered across the width of the cable. These loops can be pulled out perpendicular to the plane of the ribbon and can be made on a loom (similar to a terry loom) with individually controlled strings for the cores. By wrapping such a core around a tape, the loops can be pulled out at the edge of the tape and all conductors crossed.

   It may also be necessary to make deformations for installation reasons, sometimes, for example when the ribbon cable has to be placed inside a tubular duct, or in a slot for a certain distance. ; twisting, bending, or wrapping the tape into a spiral and unfolding it past the tube or slot, this is easily accomplished. A practical example of this use of windings having their cores crossed in the manufacture is that of certain types of electric motors or generators; in general, however, simple organic insulated flat ribbon cable will be used for windings of electrical machines.



   A number of types of ribbon cables have been described herein separately, but it should be understood that any combination of these types can be made according to the particular conditions of a particular application. there is no need for any special tools or special extrusion dies, etc., relatively small quantities can be manufactured economically for limited applications; metal foil can be cut to any width, and braided, covered or even printed by simply mounting the cutting discs on normal machines, by setting a loom or at most using a stencil in gauze

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 of silk established especially for the particular case. The initial cost price is low.

   With the exception of certain varieties of ribbon cable having cores crossed during weaving, which would require special installation, most of the machinery and raw materials required to make most types of ribbon cable are of a normal commercial type.



   It can be seen that the ratio of the area to the section of the cores of the ribbon cable is large relative to the case of wires with a circular section. As a result, they will be able to pass a much stronger current than wires with a circular cross-section, because of their larger cooling surface. Further, the direction of heat radiation from each core is the same over the entire ribbon, i.e. perpendicular to the ribbon.

   The use of solid insulating spacers and covering tapes, such as glass fiber and asbestos paper :, will allow cables of this type to be used at a relatively high temperature, without any risk of softening the material. insulating material and the resulting danger of short circuits between cores, a risk which is inherent in most existing flexible cables, due to the use of plastics for the spacing and insulation of the conductors. This spacing is not as adjustable, or as small, or as secure as the solid spacing obtained by using solid insulation in accordance with the present invention.



   It can be seen from these considerations that the ribbon cable of the invention is very advantageous in applications where the cable is used either to create heat or to withstand high temperature.



  Examples of the first case are used as flexible heating cables, as elements of heating panels or as heating strips for premises, fixed to walls, floors or ceilings, in decorative tracings etc. Examples of the second case are use of ribbon cable for winding armatures of motors and generators, or the windings of all kinds of electrical machines, including transformers, and for cabling near sources of high heat, such as near or at interior of internal combustion engines, boilers and furnaces.



   To enable a better understanding of the invention, some additional details will be given on some examples before describing some other aspects of the invention.



   If we take, for example, the case of the use of the tape as flexible immersion cable, for example for heating water tanks, we can arrive at a suitable structure as follows; in order to have the largest possible tape area, or maximum strength, the conductive tape is woven into copper or steel foil cores, respectively, and glass fibers are preferably used for the warp and the web. frame.

   The conductive tape is then passed through a bath of silicone varnish and it is entirely covered with a thin asbestos paper to which a non-corrodible metallic foil is attached. The foil frame is folded back (hemmed) or overlapped along the edge of the tape, so as to achieve a perfect seal and can in turn be covered for example with silicone paint to give additional protection against corrosion. Despite this multi-layered protection, (2 films of silicone varnish, impregnated asbestos paper, and metallic foil) there will be very rapid heat transmission from the flat cores because the insulating layers are actually very thin,

   asbestos paper, for example, can be obtained under 0.127 m / m. thick only. You can leave the tape free on the bottom of the tank or fix it with crampons or attach it to bars, etc ..., - If you feel that it requires additional mechanical protection, you can, for example, tighten it between metal foils.



   For shorter ribbons, thinner and narrower copper or steel foil cores or metal cores of greater electrical resistance are used. It is naturally necessary to join the parallel cores in series, in one or more circuits, for example by welding together the respective conductors at the two ends of the strip, or

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 by joining them together by a separate connection element. As this work is analogous to the joining work required to form windings with the tape, this will be discussed later when describing the application of the. tape to windings. The terminals for all the circuits of the tape are preferably disposed at the end of the tape which is out of the water.



   By placing a weight at the end of the cable and securing the other end to a cover or a clip, a convenient immersion element can be obtained which will accommodate a variety of bottles or other heating vessels for heating purposes. general household uses.



   A flexible but easily mechanically manipulated, and self-supporting assembly suitable for immersion heating and other heaters can be achieved by braiding several ribbons together. Figure 32 shows part of such a device. This device comprises two ribbons 138, 139, each of which is folded transversely over the other. The flexibility of the tapes themselves and the clearances required for folding allow some stretching and flexing of the braided structure, but it is, however, sufficiently "self-supporting" to allow easy mechanical handling.



   Ribbon cable can advantageously replace many types of coiled wire resistors, for general electrical uses, and the ease of securing flat flexible ribbon virtually anywhere without appreciable loss of space recommends it. , in addition to the qualities already mentioned above, which make it a remarkable immersion heating element. Just as it is possible, in this use, to connect the cores of the ribbon in several circuits which, by connection in series or in parallel, can allow several different ranges of temperatures, so a cable can be used for one. number of resistance values. The flat cores can easily be connected to contacts or their ends can serve as contacts themselves.



   As for the use of tape as a heating cable, its uses are very numerous and we do not. can give here only a few examples.



   It can be used for heat treating large plastic moldings, or for "setting" glued joints in wood assemblies by wrapping it around the mold body or fixture like ordinary tape. It can be placed between strong metal plates to form a rigid flat heating element for heated stages.



  If the ribbon has. been calendered under pressure, it can withstand considerable pressure while remaining very thin, so that it can be used as a floating stage for laminating or gluing operations for stacking sheets.



   We can briefly mention the use of cable for panel heating or space heating. It can be included between two metal panels or it can be decoratively arranged over the entire surface of a panel by winding or folding into any continuous configuration.

   For low temperature heating tapes, the magnetic tape or self-adhesive tape cable can be used, i.e. tape as described for other applications, reinforced with clienquant or without a covered metal screen, on a face, with a pressure sensitive adhesive, to facilitate the initial fixing to the wall or to the panel and the tape can then be fixed, in a definitive way, by staples, screws, nails, metal covering bands, etc. ... A decorative design can be printed on the tape with a temperature indicating ink or the non-stick side can be coated with a temperature indicating paint.

   Leaving the field of heating aside and turning to the application of tape cable to the manufacture of windings, an advantage of tape for this application is the fact that a loom or machine can be quickly adjusted. braiding, without tools, to produce a large number of parallel cores, perfectly spaced and firmly isolated, according to any

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 variant desired as to dimensions or arrangement, for example for a motor or coil winding with large inductance., or rather a number of coaxial coils and the cores are thin and flat, so that they more closely approximate the ideal shape of the current sheet.,
 EMI11.1
 It is clear that any wrapping made with a ribbon with 25 parallel cores,

   for example, requires only 4% of the number of turns of the same winding made as a single wire and gives layered or drum-like windings with thin cores :, flat, precisely spaced, securely insulated and by inorganic insulation . The use of tape for windings
 EMI11.2
 toroidals, windings of transformers or relays, of shock coils and of antenna coils, winding, -, of electrical machines, etc ... is very advantageous. But, two difficulties of primary importance must be overcome to make these applications practical, and these difficulties are overcome.
 EMI11.3
 cultured by means of the present invention.

   The first relates to the space factor and the second is the method of connecting a large number of parallel dramas into a coil, especially if the cores are not only thin but also narrow. The second difficulty is common to 1 '
 EMI11.4
 use of ribbon cables for windings and resistances, such as those described in connection with heating applications.



   In fact, the solution of the first problem has already been given by the description of calendering under high pressure. Basically, we
 EMI11.5
 first uses a binding and impregnating substance, or deformable sheet or film, to arrange and secure the conductors in the desired order in parallel and closely spaced, using it as a weft or thread in weaving or knitting or as an element braiding, and the ribbon is then flattened to the minimum thickness without disturbing this order. Thus, by pressure and heat or by solvents if necessary, a transformation of the mechanical link constituted by the weft or braiding into a link and impregnation of the tape by the substance of the weft or of the braiding material is carried out.

   It is clear that windings made with the pressed ribbon cable will have a favorable space factor.



   The solution of the second problem is facilitated by the use of con-
 EMI11.6
 ductors covered with resin. If soldering is permissible the use of copper strip cores or flattened tinned wires is very easy, since the actual connection can be made by a heated assembly only. But the real problem is the assembly of the ends of the cores which must be joined together by soft or autogenous welding or by mechanical means above all. if the ribbon has a large number of thin, narrow, and closely spaced cores.



   A mechanical device for joining and isolating the ends of the ribbon cables is partially shown in Figures 19 to 24. The former
 EMI11.7
 Ribbon hoppers can first be cut between the cores, to a suitable length, for example using a blade ;, by hand ;, or multiple shears. With each device in the open position (figures
 EMI11.8
 19 and 20), each end of the tape is placed on supports 61, 62 and a series of elements 63a, one for each webs, with the end of the tape extending beyond the elements 63a. The tape is then tightened by lowering a jaw 64 and if necessary the end of the tape can be adjusted before the jaw 64 exerts its full clamping pressure.

   At this time, the support 62 is flush with the support 61 and the upper ends of the
 EMI11.9
 él: .n.ei1ts C3.9 which slide in the grooves of the support 62 (see figures: .. 0 and 21) are also flush with the supports 61s 62. The elements 63b, complementary to the elements 63a, are then lowered. thus the tape closer to its end, the shears 65 are engaged from the side and the end of the tape is cut. The parts are then in the position shown in figure 20.

   Then, the support 62 is lowered relative to the support 61,
 EMI11.10
 and the pairs of additional elements 63as 63bq are raised and lowered, in order, relative to the support 61, to give the ends of the cores 68, a fan-shaped spread in other words to form an encroix as do the strings in a loom. This splits the isolation between souls if it has not already been done.

   At the same time or just before or just after cutting bars 66 placed between the jaw 64

 <Desc / Clms Page number 12>

 and the elements 63a descend and cut the insulation transversely, between the cores any loose insulation produced by the preceding cutting and sectioning operations being removed by a jet of air for example.



  The two devices are then juxtaposed (see FIG. 23), to cover the ends of the webs to be joined together, the order in which the pairs of elements 63a 63b, are raised and lowered in the two devices being in correlation with the junction order of the ends of the webs. The junction means for example molding or autogenous electrodes indicated at 67 are then introduced on the side and the pairs of core ends which overlap are brought together. After having removed the junction means 67, an insulating tape is inserted in the cross, the devices are removed, and the joined cores, crossed are flattened as much as possible in the plane of the tape, the insulating tape ensuring correct insulation of the cores adjacent.

   If the elements 63a, 63b are separated and if the cutting bars 66 are removed before the insertion of the insulating tape this tape may be long enough to extend the entire length of the encroix, i.e. d 'one support 61 to another.



   According to the above description, a single cross and a single fan spread is used, the cross being produced by lifting and lowering the cores in alternating order. In some cases, more complicated crossings can be used, depending on the interconnections to be made. The simple crossing and the alternating order is the simplest example., And a special case of the n-1 fan or wedge spread which can be produced with n cores by proper manipulation of the pairs of cores. elements 63a 63b.



   The juxtaposition of the two devices will depend on the order of junction. For example if one simply joins two ribbons, each core of one will be joined to the corresponding core of the other, whereas if the two ends of a tape have to be joined to produce a single continuous circuit. , the two ends will be laterally offset by a web pitch, as shown in Figure 24. This leaves two separate, non-overlapping ends, 60, 70, which constitute the circuit terminals. If we move the ends of two steps we get two separate circuits. each with its own two terminals, etc.



   If desired, suitable lead and lead wires can be kept in the devices) having flattened ends which will be joined to the appropriate end terminals in the same manner and at the same time as the we make the joints between souls. In order to keep the free ends of the tape, necessary for the junctions, as short as possible, it is preferable that the devices are placed substantially at right angles to the tape; also, to facilitate the application of the devices to the ends of the tape and their removal, they are generally open at the sides.

   For clarity, the complete devices are not shown in Figures 19 to 24, but those skilled in the art will understand that each of them has a frame or a casing to hold and guide the moving parts, while being open on the side, to admit the ends of the tape, laterally, and also devices such as levers or cams for moving the parts; also another frame or similar device in which the two devices can be moved towards each other, in alignment, to cover the ends of the cores as in figure 23.



   For certain other applications other connection systems will be necessary which will require some modification of the devices described above. For example, for resistors, a back and forth path may be preferable. It is then not necessary for the two devices, at the respective ends of the ribbon to be juxtaposed, for the junction., And the cores will be crossed in pairs, for example by folding the cores so that they overlap, after which we They are pressed together and welded with soft or autogenous solder and, after inserting the insulating tape and removing the devices, they are pressed flat again. The order of intersections at both ends will correlate with the connection system.

 <Desc / Clms Page number 13>

 



   An important condition for the satisfactory operation of the junction devices described above is the precise positioning of the end of the tape in the device.
For this purpose, the device can have an electrical contact for each core of the ribbon. So? contacts of this kind can be recessed in the holder 61 or in the jaw 64. These contacts can be used not only to indicate the exact location of the tape in the holdera in width, but also in length, the contacts being in relation. fixed with the position of the joint when it is made.

   By placing the ends of the tape in the two devices and making contact with all the cores of the tape, the device can indicate, by external connection of the respective contacts to suitable instruments, whether the joint is made with the ends of the tape. tape in the position that the supports would give would give, for example, the desired resistance or inductance values. If the value thus indicated is not the one desired, the support is moved along the. tape and adjust in the devices until this value is correct and the tape is then cut accordingly by the shears 65.



   The great advantage of ribbon cable for toroidal windings has already been mentioned. It can also be used for the production of an "infinite" inductance as shown in Fig. 33. Here, starting from an axially positioned end 140, the tape is folded back along a line at 45 to produce a flat 90 bend and the tape is then wound on a tubular core or carcass 141 in a spiral 142 of all. desired number of turns.

   At the end of the spiral, the tape is further folded in a 45-line to produce a 90-degree flat bend, which brings the tape in the axial direction as at 143, but at the edge of the spiral it is bent to 90 and we pass it radially inside, then we bend it again at 90 to pass it axially over a short distance. There it is folded again in a line at 45 to bring it into position for the winding of another spiral 142, and so on, indefinitely., If necessary, any number of spirals and make the desired interconnections between the start and end ends.

   If the ends are long enough, we can fold them axially and connect them directly,
For a simple connection of all conductors in series to produce an inductor, the ends of the conductors numbered 1, 2, 3 etc,., At one end of the tape ;? will be joined respectively to the ends of the conductors numbered 2, 3, 4, etc ..., at the other end of the tape., leaving the conductor '11 on one end and the conductor 1 on the other end for connections outside the coil; for example as described above ;, in relation to Figures 19 and 24.

   If a non-inductive connection is desired, for example for a compact resistor or heater device, a zig-zag winding path can be obtained by connecting conductors 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, etc ..., at one end and 2 and 3, 4 and 5etc .., at the other end. In any case, if a higher current capacity is desired, groups of an appropriate number of conductors are connected together at both ends which puts them in parallel;, and the groups are connected in series or so as to give a zig-zag path depending on whether an inductive or non-inductive effect is desired. Other possible connections are, for example, two separate circuits ;; serving as primary and secondary for a transformer.



  This arrangement gives a tight coupling, because the turns of the two windings are closely associated. In general, it will be seen that if fewer turns are required in one of the windings, a larger parallel group can be used accordingly, thus giving the desired greater current capacity, i.e. half of the total number of turns will be used in each winding, but will be properly connected to give the desired current capacity throughout the winding.



   The tubular carcass 141 can have any desired shape, round ;, rectangular ;, etc ... and if the tape cable is self-adhesive or if the turns of the tape have glued or otherwise solidified into a whole. closed; the carcass 141 can be entirely omitted, the winding being ef-

 <Desc / Clms Page number 14>

 Made on a retractable mandrel from which the coil is removed once it constitutes a sufficiently firm assembly to be able to be handled. Thin asbestos paper or. any other insulating layer can be wound together with the tape and thin spacer discs can be used to separate successive turns, for more severe insulation or cooling conditions.

   The succession, can be produced with spiral sections fitting exactly in the openings of normal transformer sheets so that for these normal core parts an "infinite" winding can be stored in standardized sizes suitable for the core.}, And leaving a large number of interconnection possibilities - conductors, so that a large number of coils and groups for different conditions can be produced from the same stock material.



   Another example is the use of ribbon cable as an antenna frame for radios and other applications. In this case, a length of tape is formed into a loop by joining the two ends of tape, forming one or more circuits of coaxial coils in a single layer. The buckle is fixed inside or outside the furniture by fixing it., By sliding it in brackets or dowels, by hanging it by staples, and by stretching it by elastic bands for the keep in the air and away from any solid support. It is not necessary that it adapts exactly to the furniture. Some slack can be made up with an elastic suspension or by folding the excess length.

   It will adapt to any form of furniture or support and can be used flat on the back wall of a cabinet by folding it down according to a plane (four folds at the corners), or by folding it on a strip according to longitudinal lines and gluing or otherwise fixing to the rear wall.



   Eraser the shape of the section of the cores is a long thin rectangle;, with its large side in the direction of the magnetic field, and as the capacitance between the parallel cores is very small, and known the insulation of the suspended antenna can To be classified practically among the insulations with air, one obtains a high value of "Q" (Coefficient of overvoltage).



   The antenna is inexpensive, simple and applicable to a wide variety of furniture of different shapes and makes best use of their dimensions for maximum effective field area.



   Another important field of applications is offered by the possibility of connecting between them two ribbon cables superimposed at a certain angle, generally at right angles., Or by bending one of the cables to obtain the same effect. The purpose of this stacking and interconnection is to provide a uniform, prefabricated means for wiring any set of components into any system of connections, where the length and position of these connections is not critical and where the components are mechanically fixed in a frame, with their accessible terminals. Now, the wiring of these assemblies is generally done with shaped wires requiring drawing up.

   and simple setups and quite a lot of manual and inspection work, etc.



  For example the wiring of all kinds of panels and equipment in telephone offices., Vehicles and telecommunications technology., Is done by "forms" of wiring. Despite mass production, these equipments are manufactured in so many different types and slight modifications that the case of reproducing a single model in large quantities rarely arises. This, together with the large dimensions of some of the equipment, has been a major obstacle to the use of printed circuits or other pre-fabricated circuits in this field without a significant modification of the design of all the equipment.



   The present invention allows a high degree of prefabrication of circuits by replacing the forms of wiring and all the work involved therewith with the ribbon cable, and this application will be described with reference to a typical example. namely the wiring of sets of relays which are manufactured in very large quantities and which are distributed over hundreds of different types and variations.

   Without the need for any re-study, these sets of relays can be wired using the ribbon cable.

 <Desc / Clms Page number 15>

 superimposed, as follows
The design office designates the boundaries of the components of the entire game, or sections of the game, from 1 to n in the order of their spatial relations when one crosses the game, systematically., As much as possible in the same direction and means of identification are provided for these terminals which can also be applied to the conductors of the ribbon cable, for example colors, numbers, letters, etc.



  This can be done on the normal drawings in the set. A sheet consisting of squares formed by n horizontal columns., One for each terminal, and a number of vertical columns, one for each group of terminals to be interconnected., For complete the circuit $ is then completed by the design office by marking the respective squares of the sheet and, preferably also (for example in centimeters), on the horizontal columns, the distance from the terminal to the proposed position of the crossed end of the ribbon.



  The horizontal rows of the sheet represent the conductors of the ribbon cable going to the respective terminals; the vertical columns represent the crossbars that need to connect the respective ribbon conductors to join them properly in this particular circuit.



   By means of a punching device;, similar to those used for punching cards in accounting machines, punched cards are prepared in sheets of insulating substance, for example of vulcanized fiber ;, depending on the sheet , but the perforated holes correspond to the spacing of the cores in the ribbon cables. Two punch cards or a symmetrically folded and punched card ;, are established for each job.



   Cable is cut on the reel; one end is cut directly across the width of the tape; the other to the length of each conductor specified on the sheet. A second piece of cable-tape, the crossbar whose length is equal to the width of the first tape and having at least as many cores as there are groups of terminals, is placed between the two punched cards or inside the folded card ,, and is placed on the right end of the ribbon cable ;, and the conductors of the two superimposed tapes are then joined through the holes of the cards by autogenous welding, riveting or soft weld welding or both.

   Soft weld welding can be done by pressure with a heated tool, autogenous welding and riveting with a universal tool, i.e. a. tool having a socket at each possible junction, for a welding electrode or a removable riveting head. A piece of the first ribbon cable can be used as a crossbar if the sheet consists of n vertical columns and if two or more conductors are used as a single cross conductor by paralleling It is not necessary. let it be a separate piece of cable; the end of the ribbon cable can be folded back so as to be folded back on itself at 90 degrees, forming a small loop which is then cut.



   The other end of the ribbon cable is then treated to separate the cores, 9 while leaving them isolated from each other ;, and all that remains is to solder the free ends of the cores to the terminals of the components .., to which they can easily be juxtaposed without manipulation, since they are of the correct length and in the desired order. The tape can be secured with insulating clips or tapes and secured to the frame of the equipment.



   For this field of application, a particularly suitable form of cable is one with plastic insulation (woven or braided) of good electrical quality, but which can be easily dissolved or softened by heat, and which is printed for identify the cores and length of ribbon, with an ink which is not destroyed by the heat of softening or by the solvent; the cores are tinned copper foil and spaced as far as the terminals of the equipment to be connected allow to make convenient connections possible.

   With a cable like this; the separation of the cores at the end is conveniently effected by heat or by a solvent, preferably through a mask., of paper for example ;, so that the bond between the cores is destroyed., but the cores

 <Desc / Clms Page number 16>

 remain insulated not only by the ink printing, but also by the plastic insulation or the part of this insulation which remains adherent after cooling and evaporation of the solvent. The ends of the cores can be welded using a heated pair of pliers without having to remove the plastic if the terminals are tinned, or by any usual soldering operation.



   Figures 25 to 27 illustrate a simple example. Figure 25 shows the circuit diagram assuming three pieces of equipment, each with four terminals placed so that their terminals numbered 1 through 12 are in successive and similar order; the first terminals 1, 5 and 9 must be interconnected, the second terminals 2, 6 and 10 must be interconnected, and the rest in pairs, 5, 7; 4, 11; and 8, 12, which makes five groups in all.

   The corresponding shape, shown in Fig. 26, therefore, has twelve horizontal rows numbered from 1 to 12 for the terminals, and five vertical columns for the groups, and squares are marked in the various columns to indicate the connection system. above; at the end of each line mark the distances from the terminals at the end of the ribbon cable at which the cross connections are to be made.

   Figure 27 shows the ribbon cable 71 with the transverse ribbon cable 72 placed between the punched insulating boards 73. It will be seen that the boards are perforated with openings corresponding to the squares marked in figure 26, but with the perforations placed to match the correct cores of the two ribbon cables; also}, the other end of the cable 71 has been cut to correspond with the distance markings in the form, which correspond to four groups of terminals each of rectangular formation, spaced by one unit length, and which are cut between the webs to form the ends 74 which will be welded to the terminals of the equipment.



   Another, but not preferred, method of using crossed ribbon cables is to attach a lead wire to each terminal of the components and join the other ends of the wires through the appropriate holes in the top punched board. ., to the two superimposed ribbon cable cores. In this case, the ribbon cables are only the size of the card.



   But this arrangement is a preferred application if the components are to be worn directly. This is the case if it is necessary to make wiring panels, such as instrument panels, wiring covers, etc ... and if the construction of the circuit from two groups of parallel flat conductors is not prohibited. by considerations of intercapacities, number of cross connections, etc., .. The procedure is the same as that described for the right end of the strip, but the two cards are different. ,, one having perforations only at the interconnection points of the two layers of tape., while the other has perforations for all the component terminals, The cards are furthermore made stronger mechanically.,

   to carry the components, and if the components are to be arranged on both sides of the panel, the cards may be foldable or each consist of two parts placed side by side.



   The upper card having the two sets of perforations is first glued onto the ribbon cable and the components which are to be carried by the card are joined to the webs of the ribbon below the perforations, their terminals passing through the perforations. Then this assembly is placed on the second card, and the transverse ribbon, and the cores of the two ribbons which are spaced apart by the second card, are connected through the interconnection holes in this second card. If the final position of the components is on both sides of the panel, then the assembly is folded and secured together with or without an insulating or insulating sheet.



   Instead of folding, two separate sets of cards can be joined or a two- or three-layered card assembled on both sides, using suitably punched cards. In order to decrease the number of parallel cores required in the two layers of tape, some or all of the cores can be subdivided into separate electrical lengths,

 <Desc / Clms Page number 17>

   6111 cutting fragments along their entire length, or alternatively, these fragments can be removed by chemical attack after having protected the remains by printing or coating applied with a stencil or other suitable device. '
If the cards used are flexible,

   three-dimensional circuits can be established by winding or folding the assembly into any desired configuration, and attaching it to a frame or pushing it into a container and filling the container with a hardened resin sand, or by leaving it free to be unrolled or unfolded according to a plan. when needed.



   Another application is a combination of a ribbon cable with a printed circuit. In this case, the tape is used for the part of the entire circuit which consists essentially of parallel conductors., And the printed circuit is either superimposed on the tape or end of tape ;, or attached to the tape and serves to carry the components to provide all the conductors passing through the ribbon cores and the short connections which it would be inconvenient to make using the ribbon.

   A typical example of this application is a printed label ;, embossed for placement purposes., To connect several ribbon cables of different types in a predetermined manner. The "label" may also bear switches., Fuses or other small components ;, and may be attached to a closed support
The last particular field of application of ribbon cable, which will be described in detail here, is the use of the ribbon in cabling installations where the various qualities of the ribbon present special advantages. These qualities are -. the flat shape, the possibility of bending, flexibility and the possibility of twisting ;, self-adhesion to the walls;

  , especially during installation ease of permanent fixing by screws, nails, staples, etc. .. high current capacity, low capacity between elements, ease of shielding by foil or rigid metal plates solid insulation not organic, the ease of making soldered connections ;, the ease of identifying individual conductors;

  , the indication of the length of the tape, the places of bending, joining, fixing or connection, etc. by prints on the tape, the ease of manufacture of relatively small quantities of types particular without cost or delay of tools, etc ... etc ... Keeping in mind these qualities which are characteristic of the invention, no further explanation is necessary to appreciate the advantages of the type. ribbon cable in electrical installations in airplanes, automobiles, battle tanks ;. boats, wall panels, panels and furniture in general, frames, billboards, mobile or flashing signs, retarding lenses;

  , radar indication units, etc ... wherever a cable with multiple cores or a multiplicity of substantially parallel conductors is required.



     There is, however, one feature in this field of applications which the present invention allows and which has not been mentioned heretofore; the problem of mechanical contacts, (permanent or temporary) existing in most of these applications, which has so far not been satisfactorily solved) wherever one uses wave-section wires, but which is satisfactorily solved by the present invention.



   Multi-core cables, made with round cross-section wires, generally have contacts attached to the wires where they are to be mechanically connected to other pieces of equipment, or wiring. These contacts take the form of screw connections ;, sockets., Plugs, etc ... and there is a constant demand, especially in aircraft wiring and in units used in airplanes., For the use of multiple plugs that are lighter, smaller and free from mishandling and corresponding sockets. This application raises the difficult technical problem of assembling and joining a large number of elements to a very large number of wires in a very small space.

   It is naturally -possible., Likewise, to fix contacts to the cores of the ribbon cable as to the wires, and in cases where the metal of the contact must be of a particular type;

  ,

 <Desc / Clms Page number 18>

 e.g. mechanical stress, abrasion, arcing, etc ... this is obviously the method to follow, but in ordinary work to provide a simple contact surface for a bulb of lamps, e.g., com - me in animated sign installations, where a firm mechanical connection, separable between two cables the screws, plugs and sockets used at present can be replaced by the webs of the ribbon themselves which, at the point of connection, are cleaned of any insulating layer or coating and which have a sufficient contact surface, owing to their large flat surface, to render unnecessary any intermediate element.



   It is possible, according to the present invention, to dispense completely with plugs and sockets as intermediaries in the electrical circuit, and to replace their mechanical function with a simple mechanical device ensuring the elastic pressure of the cables. tape which must be connected in correct alignment, while allowing their easy separation, self-cleaning of contact surfaces., etc.



  The advantage of dispensing with the interposition of a pair of contacts adapted to one another or even of a single contact between two connected cables is quite important and is one of the aims of the invention. description of a single example of a wiring installation without the usual sockets and plugs will make this clearer.



   Consider, for example, a cabling installation using multi-core cables as they are now manufactured. The cable is passed, its conductive, to as many points as necessary, connected, at these points, to sockets, which is a complicated electrician's job, usually involving not only a junction in the cable itself, but also making the installation very inflexible; moving these points from one part of the cable to another after installation is complete is time consuming and expensive.



   Compared to this, the attachment of the flat ribbon cable is quick and easy, an example being shown in figure 28. Assuming that it is to be shielded by strong aluminum bands}! the first thing is to fix a base aluminum strip 81 along the desired path on the walls, panels or frames, without having to consider the exact position of the points, then one sticks the duct tape 82 on the base bands, without interruptions in the tape and without considering the points, the tape is permanently fixed by staples or screws passing to the base, between the cores, and it is covered with strong strips of aluminum - cover nium, eg U-bands 83, which can be attached to the base band in sections, by staples, eg screws 84 or otherwise.

   Alternatively, the cover strip can be attached directly to the wall or panel; base tape is not always necessary.



    At the point positions, the cover strip is removed over a length indicated at 83 and replaced with a standard cover, as indicated at 86, having a removable cover plate or disc 87, which makes the tape accessible over a short length when we remove the plate. As indicated, the plate 87 is disposed to swing or pivot on a pivot 88 against a spring 89. A locking screw 90 can also be provided to prevent accidental movement of the cover plate.



   The cover 86 may have insulating pads which press on the tape 82. Inside the cover, over a convenient length, the tape is stripped of any insulating layer or covering, so that the cores are bare. If they are made of copper, they can easily be silvered there, but this refinement is not usually necessary. The cover 86 then plays the role of a socket. If this socket is desired in another place, a new interruption is made quickly and easily, in the strip 83 and it is provided with a cover 86 and the old place is sealed by sticking a piece of insulating tape on the cable - tape and securing the removable cover disk or plate 87 firmly with a screw such as 90 or. a staple.



   In installations where no ro-

 <Desc / Clms Page number 19>

 bust is necessary, all the work to provide "Points" consists in stripping 1-'isole;, ion the point and fixing on it a cover similar to 88, to provide support for the removable cover plate 87 and a anchor for clamping the "male" ribbon cable which must be connected at this point. Installation does not involve cutting the ribbon cable itself.



   Male ribbon cable 82a does not have to be attached to any socket. Its end is folded over a support 92, which may be of metal or plastic molding and which is shaped to cooperate with the cover 86 and to be kept in alignment with and against the ribbon cable 82. The flap end folded is naturally stripped of its insulation and / or its covering at the places where its cores make contact with those of the cable 82. The conductors of the male tape can also be silvered on this part.



   As shown in Figures 30 and 31, the holder 92 has a handle 93 and a more or less wedge-shaped portion 94. The tape 91 is passed through a slot 95 on the wedge end 94 and returned to a. position where its end will engage with an elastic clip 96 which slides to the side. For example, the clip may include two plastic moldings on two hairpin spring wires 97.



  Part 94 also has two raised edges 98 engaging the sloping wall of cover 86 (see Figure 31), so that when the bracket is pushed into place, cable 82a is wedged against cable 82.



  As shown, the cover plate 87 also serves, advantageously, to keep the support 92 in its wedged position by engagement behind the shoulders 99 on the edges 98. To remove the support 92, the cover plate 87 is released. shoulders by pressing on a handle 100. The wedge end 94 of the support can advantageously have a rubber-type insertion 101, which distributes the pressure on all the cores of the ribbon cables.



   It can be seen that the support replaces all the mechanical functions of a socket without requiring electrical connection of the conductors in ru- ban to this support. If the male tape conductor 91 is damaged, the end of the tape can be cut off and the new end moved and secured in the holder provided the entire tape is not shortened too much.



  The moral ribbon cable 82 can be repaired by soft soldering or autogenous welding a stripped piece of tape to the worn conductors without cutting it.



    He. is possible too., naturally? provide loops in the mirai ribbon cable to allow the connection of male ribbon cables perpendicular to the wall or to allow connections by clips.



   It should be understood that Figures 28 to 31 illustrate only one possible form and that very different variations are possible.



  Thus, other means than the wedging by inclined walls can be used to keep the two cables in contact and in correct alignment, for example screws, clips, hooks or eccentrics can be used or other shapes. cover plates or disks or for mounting these elements.



    CLAIMS ..



   1 - A method of making a multiple core ribbon electrical cable comprising the operations of inserting thin solid insulation between and longitudinally with respect to a plurality of substantially coplanar conductive cores, of flat section; , and securing the cores and insulation together to form a cohesive structure.


    

Claims (1)

2 - Method according to claim 1, wherein the cores and the isolate, ion are brought simultaneously to a point where. the insertion is carried out. 3 - Method according to claims 1 or 2 wherein the fixing of the cores and the insulation is carried out by an additional insulation- <Desc / Clms Page number 20> the one that extends over souls 4 - Method according to claim 3 wherein the additional insulation is integral with the insulation between the cores. 5. A method according to claims 3 or 4 wherein the additional isolation extends over alternate cores, on opposite sides of these cores. 6 - Method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the insulation is of the fibrous type and is attached to the cores by weaving. 7 - Method according to claims 6 or 7 wherein there are at least two longitudinal insulating fibers between the adjacent cores of diameter approximately equal to the thickness of the cores, 9 - Method according to claim 8 wherein there are more than two longitudinal insulating fibers between adjacent cores and said fibers and the cores are fixed together by interweaving insulating weft yarns with some of the longitudinal fibers while leaving the cores and at least two longitudinal fibers between adjacent noncrossed cores. 10. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the insulation is of the fibrous type and is attached to the cores by knitting it around the cores. 11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the knitting is effected substantially without bending the cores. 12 - Method according to 1-any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the insulation is a flexible membrane which extends between the cores and at least on one face of each core. 13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the insulation extends between the cores and on the same faces of all the cores. 14. A method according to claim 12 wherein the insulation extends between the cores and over alternate cores on opposite faces. 15. A method according to claim 1, which comprises bringing the cores simultaneously, raising and lowering the alternate cores to form a crisscross, providing a flexible insulation membrane in the crotch at the same speed and in the same direction as the cores., and closing the cross over the membrane and pressing the cores firmly onto the membrane, means being provided to produce mutual adhesion of the cores and the membrane. 16. Method according to claim 15, in which the spacing of the cores is just sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the membrane between them. 17 - Method according to claim 1 which consists in providing an alternating series of cores and separate strips of insulation, plastically deformable with a surface section at least sufficient to provide the necessary insulation section between the cores in the tape, and to apply pressure gradually to the faces of said suite while limiting the lateral sliding of the cores, thus plastically deforming the insulating strips so that they take their final shape and in doing so press laterally - lie against the edges of souls and adhere to them. 18. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, in which at least part of the insulation is a material which can be made plastic, the method also comprising the operations which consists in making said part of the insulation plastic. insulation after which has been attached to the cores, and calendering the tape under high pressure while the insulation is plastic. 19 - Method for producing a set of parallel electrically conductive cores, laterally spaced and moving simultaneously, comprising the steps of providing a sheet of <Desc / Clms Page number 21> metal, cutting the sheet into webs of the desired width; , in guiding the alternating cores separately according to the general direction of movement of the cores, then in guiding at least all the cores minus one along a path which comprises two bends with respect to parallel axes inclined to the direction of displacement of the web. soul, so that the soul, after the second bend, is parallel to its original position before the first bend, but shifted, the lateral shift values of the souls being correlated, so that the souls are separated at 1 - desired spacing. Multiple core electrical cable, of the ribbon type, comprising a plurality of conductive cores of flat section, laterally spaced, substantially coplanar with one another and a solid insulation placed between them and fixed to said cores. 21. Multi-core electrical cable according to claim 20, wherein said insulation comprises fibers placed longitudinally with respect to the tape, at least two of these fibers being provided between adjacent cores}, approximately of the same thickness as the cores. and not bent out of the plane of souls. 22. Multi-core electrical cable according to claim 21, also comprising additional longitudinal insulating fibers and insulating wefts interwoven with said additional fibers. 23 - Multi-core electrical cable, according to claim 22 wherein said wefts are equally distributed on both sides of the tape. 24. A multi-core electrical cable according to claim 22, wherein said wefts are in greater number on one side of the tape than on the other. 25. A multi-core electrical cable according to claim 20, wherein said insulation comprises fibers inter-looped with respect to said cores. 26 - A multi-core electrical cable according to claim 20, wherein said insulation comprises a membrane with ribs, said ribs being placed between adjacent cores. 27 - A multi-core electrical cable according to claim 20, wherein said insulation is placed only between the cores and adheres thereto. 28 - A multi-core electrical cable according to claim 20, wherein said insulation comprises a membrane placed between adjacent cores and on opposite faces of the alternating cores. 29 - Multiple-core electrical cable according to any one of claims 20 to 28, also comprising additional insulation covering said insulation and the cores, 30. A multi-core electrical cable according to claim 29, further comprising a metallic covering covering said additional insulation. 31 - A multi-core electrical cable according to claim 30, wherein said metallic covering is of magnetized material. 32 - A multi-core electrical cable according to any one of claims 20 to 31, wherein the cores are made of magnetized material. 33. A multi-core electrical cable as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 32, wherein said insulation and any additional insulation is substantially inorganic and heat resistant. 34 - A multi-core electrical cable as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 32, wherein any insulation placed on the faces of the cores is of a substance which allows soft solder connections <Desc / Clms Page number 22> or autogenously on the cores without removing the insulation. 35. A multi-core electrical cable according to any one of claims 20 to 34, also comprising an exterior adhesive coating. 36 - Multi-core electrical cable according to any one of claims 20 to 35, also comprising an impression on at least one of its faces, which distinguishes the various parts of the tape, at least as regards its cross section and whether one so desires, with regard to length. 37 - Multi-core electrical cable according to any one of claims 20 to 36, also comprising a printed electrical circuit supported by it. 38 - A multi-core electrical cable according to any one of claims 20 to 37 further comprising a temperature indicating coating. 38bis - Succession of spiral cables, according to figure 3. 39 - An assembly comprising an electrical cable with multiple cores according to one of the preceding claims, wound in a spiral in a succession of units of an equal number of turns or not, the transverse section of the tape being in the the axis of the spiral and the ribbon running from the outer end of one spiral to the inner end of the next. 40. An assembly according to claim 39, wherein the ribbon enters axially into the center of each coil and is folded therein, along a 45 line, to give a flat 90 bend. 41 - An assembly according to claims 39 and 40, wherein the tape at its outer end to the spiral, is folded along a line at 45 to give a flat bend at 90, then at right angles out of the edge of the spiral to be directed radially towards the center thereof, then at right angles again to lead it axially to the spiral inwardly of the next spiral. 42 - Method of joining a. A cable according to any of claims 1 to 19, comprising the steps of holding the cable near its end, cutting the insulation between adjacent cores of the end of the cable, and crossing the cores in orderly spread with their extreme ends protruding, so that the various ends are made accessible for the junctions. 43 - Method according to claim 42, in which the webs are crossed in a simple alternating sequence. 44 - Method according to claims 42 or 43, y wherein the projecting ends of two cable ends are superimposed and the respective pairs of superimposed ends are connected. 45 - Method according to claim 44, wherein the electrical value which will be obtained when the cable ends have been connected is indicated by making electrical contact with each core and adjusting the length of both ends so as to give the desired value before the connection. 46 - A method for the interconnection of terminals of electrical equipment comprising a ribbon cable according to any one of claims 20 to 38, having its cores at one end separated and cut to lengths corresponding to the terminals of the equipment to be interconnected..a pair of punch cards according to the desired interconnection plane, a short piece of ribbon cable also according to any of claims 20 to 38, placed between said cards, this insert being placed across the other end of the first mentioned cable,., and interconnections between the cores of the two cables, made through the perforations in said cards. <Desc / Clms Page number 23> 47 - Means for interconnecting the terminals of electrical components comprising the combination of two pieces of ribbon cable according to any one of claims 20 to 38, superimposed and one crossing the other, a first insulating board inserted between said cables., perforated according to the desired plane of interconnections, a second insulating card on which the components are mounted, said second card being perforated for the terminals of the components and superimposed on one of said cables, with the perforations aligned with cores, interconnections through the holes in the second board between the component terminals and the cable cores immediately below the second board, and interconnections between the cores of the two cables through the perforations of the first card. 48 - Method for the interconnection of two ribbon cables according to any one of claims 20 to 38, comprising a support., Means for fixing the end of one of the cables on the support with an exposed part on the surface and means for holding said support juxtaposed with the other cable with the exposed part of the cable on the support against the other cable, the two cables having their cores stripped where they come into contact. 49 - Means according to claim 48 wherein the support device comprises a cover and a cover plate which cover the other cable when the support is not in position. 50 - Means according to claims 48 or 49, wherein the support device comprises a cover having an inclined wall and the support is wedge-shaped cooperating with the inclined wall. 51 - Means according to claim 50, wherein the cover has a hinged cover plate which is moved sideways by the support when inserted under said inclined wall. 52 - Means according to claim 51, wherein said cover plate serves as a notch for retaining said support when it has been inserted. 53 - Methods of fabricating a multiple core electrical cable substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 18 of the accompanying drawings. 54 - Construction of a multi-core electrical cable substantially as described with reference to Figures 1-12, 14, 15, 17 and 18, of the accompanying drawings. 55 - Device for use in multi-core electrical cable junctions, substantially as described with reference to Figures 19 to 24 of the accompanying drawings. 56 - Means for interconnection of two multi-core electrical cables substantially as described with reference to Figures 25 to 27 of the accompanying drawings. 57 - Means for making temporary interconnections between two multi-core electrical cables substantially as described with reference to Figures 28 to 31 of the accompanying drawings. 58 - Multiple core assemblies as described with reference to figures 32 and 33.