ES2279468T3 - CONNECTION OF ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS WITH CHANGE OF SECTION, PROCEDURE FOR MANUFACTURING AND COMPOSITE GLASS WITH A CONNECTION OF CONDUCTORS OF THIS TYPE. - Google Patents

Abstract

Electrical conducting connection comprises an insulating and sealing composition (14) and a protective body (10) arranged temporarily after applying the insulating composition so that it completely surrounds it with common boundary surfaces. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) Process for the production of an electrical conducting connection; and (2) Composite disk having an outer connection formed by the above electrical conducting connection.

Description

Connection of electrical conductors with change of section, manufacturing process and composite glass with a connection of conductors of this type.

The invention relates to a connection of electrical conductors that have a section change, which has the features of the preamble of claim 1. It is also refers to a procedure for the production of such connection of conductors and a composite glass equipped with components electrical and with at least such conductor connection.

Conductor connections of this are known genre that have a passage from a flat ribbon conductor to a cable, in different cases of application of composite glasses in the assembly of which (at least two rigid sheets and a sheet or adhesive layer that joins these sheets by adhesion between large surfaces) electrical components are incorporated. These components can be, for example, heating wires or layers and its collectors, elements of antennas, solar cells or others flat shaped elements. In cars there are glasses Compounds equipped in this way (windshield, rear window and side glass, provided with most elements of heating and / or antenna elements) and also in the sector of the building.

To output a flexible connection from conductors of the interior space of the compound for bonding in the outside, without having to drill one of the mounted sheets, it regularly use flat conductors that are composed of at least one thin carrier film (for example polyimide or PEN) and for at least one metallic conductive track (see the DE 195 36 131 C1, DE 102 49 992 C1). In most of the In addition, another coating film is provided, such so that the flat conductor together forms a stratification of three layers. Overall, the latter is also sufficiently thin to be inserted in a compound (the thickness of the intermediate layer or glue layer is approximately 0.76 mm, the total thickness of the flat conductors provided here is approximately 0.2 mm).

In most cases these drivers flexible planes are welded to connecting surfaces that found inside the compound near the edge of composite glass. They extend then outwards beyond this edge and connect to a normal (round) cable to Short distance from the aforementioned edge. He or the cable conductors, which is an item that is sold by the meter, they contact the conductor conduit (s) flat, by welding to soft welding in most cases. In the area of the welds it is naturally removed at least a flat conductor coating film to leave stripped the conductive track (s). So far, in the area of change of flat conductor section to the cable, they were left free or left totally stripped the conductive track or tracks.

To mechanically protect this change of section after welding, and to electrically isolate it from outside, it is coated or encapsulated with the help of a dough of plastic material, in which case a molten block is obtained (protective body) extremely flat but, nevertheless, It is still a little wider than the flat conductor. The body of protection completely surrounds the end of the flat conductor that is directed towards the cable. In known solutions the body of protection is polyamide, relatively hard material in comparison with flexible electrical conductors. It can, certainly, procure this material in a transparent or colored. However, the usual protective bodies up to Now they are mostly black. Also, they don't have emptied in the connection area, so that you cannot have a visual control of the connection zone. The importance of Such visual controls are mentioned in DE 102 49 992 C1 cited above in reference to the electrical connection of the composite glasses

Document DE 41 36 901 A1 describes an example of a welded connection provided with an insulating protective body molded

EP 1,058,349 A1 and US 5,724,730 they have welded joints between flat cables or cables with conductors films and wires of wires that are surrounded each time by insulating protection bodies. In the two documents cited in Lastly, molds are also shown for the production of molded or protective bodies, which do not remain in the connections.

EP 1,058,349 A1 already cited shows an embodiment in which a rigid box surrounds the area of connection itself being completely covered by a mass cast. The conductors may also be surrounded by bands of different tightness inside the protective body. The US Patent 5,724,730 cited above shows a form of embodiment in which the flat conductor is surrounded, at the exit of the protection body, for an elastic anti-folding protection manufactured and placed independently, which is partially fused with the protective body.

In mass production it is not possible to mount a protective body in one piece, made of a material relatively rigid, in the support or coating films flat conductor polyimide with sufficient adhesion remaining in acceptable expense limits. This has certain inconveniences for the preferred application described herein memory because composite glass, especially in the field of automobile, they are mounted more and more frequently with the edges free. Splices with flat form conductors mentioned here are frequently found in the edge area bottom of these glasses and extend to the power grid of the vehicle inside the body (which most frequently It is metallic).

Depending on the mounting situation you can see due to this effect a really strong action of the flowing water or that falls on the section change zone between the driver flat and cable. The risk of short circuits (leakage currents) on the body cannot be totally excluded with the solution known, which comprises a relatively protective body hard surrounding the weld between the flat conductor and the cable because thin fissures can form between the films of the flat conductor and protective body.

The risk is further increased by the shares mechanical that is not able to exclude during manufacturing, the transport and assembly of these composite glasses, and that can lead to deterioration of films in the area of change of section. The films can also deteriorate, and the flat conductors can be stripped locally, by the friction or folding in relatively sharp edges and rigid cast block or protective body.

It is added, as another functional condition marginal, the fact that prefabricated composite glasses and equipped with the splices must also undergo the usual operation of assembly, that is the action of heat and pressure, by example in an autoclave, in which the connections of the drivers must also resist it. It turns out from this that the materials used must be able to withstand without deterioration temperatures that reach up to 150ºC.

Document DE 195 10 341 A1 describes a procedure for mounting a power line in a box male plug with tensile stress absorption. The line, possibly multipolar, composed of round wires, is first electrically spliced by welding to elements of contact such as pins or a flat conductor that prolongs The splice zone is then enclosed in a box. TO then the end of the line located in the box is coated by an adhesive mass (for example a hot melt glue) which adheres to the insulating material of the line. This dough is solid. at room temperature and ensures the absorption of efforts of traction of the line or of the welded connection.

The invention aims to further refine a connection of conductors of the genre cited at the beginning in order of your preferred application as a glass splicing element Compounds equipped with electrical components. It also has as in order to create a manufacturing process for such connection of drivers.

According to the invention, this problem is solved, regarding the connection of conductors, with the characteristics of claim 1. The features of claim 12 indicate a corresponding manufacturing process, as long as that claim 16 refers to an equipped composite glass with at least one conductor connection of this type. The characteristics of the secondary claims linked to the independent claims indicate advantageous developments Correspondents of this invention.

After long research on the protective body material that can be found with different hardnesses, it has been verified that it was not possible to reach a compromise between sufficient mechanical resistance, which represents the main object, and an electrical isolation of the area of assembly that is satisfactory even in weather, with the single modification of the shape and material of the body of protection. The problem of adhesion on the carrier film and the coating film could not be resolved so satisfactory

Finally, the connection has come around electric proper (welding) with an insulating mass and of softer tightness that replaces the protective body. Also then there were problems in the choice of material insulator, especially within the ratio of its upper limit of temperature. However, it has finally been possible to find masses adhesives that have sufficient adhesion on metals and polyimide films, which also withstand the temperatures of the autoclaves (up to 150ºC) without deterioration, therefore, in particular, without diminishing its adhesion, of its properties of insulation or its elasticity. In addition, they also support a final overmolding operation with the material of a body of protection. As a glue or fusion material it can be considered a polyamide (fusible thermoplastic adhesive material), systems acrylate and epoxy resins and possibly a silicone.

It has also been found, on the other hand, that minimizing the surface that must be surrounded by the mass insulating and sealing in the connection area again it they obtain advantages, which before did not have to be considered, since that, as mentioned, the protective body anyway It completely surrounded the whole flat conductor. Specifically, it is not necessary to leave a relatively conductive track stripped wide across its width in the area of the electrical connection but that, on the contrary, it is enough to remove the film from coating or carrier slightly wider than cable thickness

In itself, it is only this area, which is very small compared to the total width of the flat conductor, the which must be covered or also covered by the insulating mass permanently elastic. In the presence of movements in this area no major deformations of the insulating mass or too large moments inside the insulating mass, of such that the mechanical request of the latter can be maintained at a very low level. In principle, the dough can be placed outside without being molded. However, in order to get a defined use of material is placed preferably in a simple, reproducible geometric shape.

After the placement of this insulating mass, which is preferably transparent, in a first stage of the procedure, which is preferably performed immediately after of the realization of the welded connection, on the one hand it is obtained excellent tightness that opposes the entry of liquids and / or of moisture, and that practically excludes the formation of Short circuits and corrosion damage. Moreover, the Welding thus protected can also be inspected visually.

However, due to solicitations considerable mechanical and thermal that manifest during the treatment (splicing process, transport, mounting on the body of a vehicle) and in the mounting environment, you cannot dispense with the protective body since the insulating mass does not can she alone resist, except to a small extent, the efforts Mechanical and thermal.

Now as before, this protective body It can be manufactured in a second stage of the procedure, simply by molding or overmolding the connection area and the insulating mass previously placed with a mass of material appropriate plastic. In this way, when finished, the dough insulator is entirely immersed inside the body of protection, so that the risk of lack of tightness is minimizes possible with a moderate expense. Contour exterior of the insulating mass thus forms a surface of body or common boundary surface with the protective body. In particular you can reproduce the outer shape of the dough insulating, lowered in the outer shape of the body of protection.

Another essential improvement of the body of protection consists of a "smoothing" of its directed edge towards the flat conductor to reduce forces as much as possible that act on the flat conductor or on its films. It can just try to achieve this result by thinning the ramp section. Another solution that preferably can be combined with the previous solution is to make the edges of a softer material, which can be overmoulded in a two component injection procedure, or that can be added on this material in the form of a component Independent. It is also advantageous that the edge of the body of protection that is directed towards the flat conductor have a rounding - considered in the driver's plan view flat- because this avoids a straight folding edge. This rounding can also be planned already at the time of molding of the insulating mass.

The protective body itself can also be modified, for example by one or several openings that, now, They allow visual control of the connection zone. Other emptied or projections may otherwise serve as mounting elements or for fixing, for example to engage the protective body in the corresponding projections provided in the body or in the Framed composite glass.

If visual control of the connection is desired welded, the transparent insulating mass must naturally be combined with a protective body also optically transparent if you do not want to provide the latter with an emptying that It would serve as a light.

Such electrical conductor connections are preferably used for the production of electrical contacts exteriors for electrical components such as wires or layers of heating and its collector conductors, for elements of antennas, for photovoltaic and analog solar cells, which are sandwiched between the sheets of glass and / or plastic material rigid that belong to composite glass. In this case, it can be indispensable and prudent to provide for each pole its own connection of drivers. Naturally, if necessary, each connection of drivers can have several parallel drivers that then they must all be connected in the section change zone between the flat conductor and the cable and be wrapped by the insulating mass and for the protection body. In the case of an antenna function pure (unipolar) with mass or reference potential in a metal body, a composite glass can also be equipped with only one unipolar connection device of the type described here. In all cases the composite glass forms a unitary object with its conductor connections, since conductor splices cannot be separated from composite glass No loss of function.

Other particularities and advantages of the object of invention become apparent from the description of an example of realization and the detailed description of this example that give below.

In a simplified representation, which is not to scale,

- Figure 1 shows a view of a connection of drivers who have a change of section and a body of protection covering it;

- Figure 2 shows a section of the area of the section change to make the insulation improved by means of the insulating mass provided inside the body of protection or immersed in this body, according to the invention;

- Figure 3 shows a section as in the Figure 2, with a molded insulating mass according to a shape defined.

According to Figure 1, the connection of conductors 1 it is composed of a cable 2 and a flat conductor 4 that here each must be done with a single electric conductor, to simplify (which does not naturally exclude an embodiment multipolar). In dashed line a conductive track is indicated 5 of the flat conductor 4. A metallic core 3 of the cable 2 is stripped at its end attached to the flat conductor 4 and welded to the track conductive 5.

This welded connection rests on an area stripped of the conductive track 5 which is surrounded by an edge of cut 8. The conductive zone of the bare and treated electricity to isolate is clearly narrower than the whole track conductive 5 in order to keep it as small as possible. Naturally, she must also offer a sufficient place for placement and welding of the cable end, in which case, in In general, twice the width of the cable is used to the maximum. Naturally, depending on the case, you may also need less room when the amount of welding can be sized accurately enough.

In the section change thus formed between the cable 2 and the flat conductor 4, a body of protection 10 made of a plastic material capable of resisting mechanical solicitations and electricity insulator, for example, of a polyamide. Said section change is preferably (but This is not strictly indispensable, as is also stated. also later) fully overmoulded with the body of protection 10. The latter is also provided with a port 11 which makes possible the visual control of the welded connection between the cable end 3 and the conductive track 5. As a variant, the protective body can also be totally or partially made of a transparent material.

The protection body 10 has here, in its angles pointing away from the driver flat, to one part and another of the cable 2, eyelets that serve as fixing elements 12 with which it can be fixed in an environment of assembly, for example in a vehicle body. On the other hand, there is in the direction of the flat conductor 4 a terminal zone 13 rounded (considered in a driver's top view 4) flat, and flexible. This minimizes the risk of flat conductor damage due to folding and friction on the Edge of the protection body. It will come back again more detailed on terminal zone 13. It has been indicated by an oval in dotted and striped strokes the area that is covered by a mass insulator 14. This zone is at least the welded connection as well as the segment 8 set; however, its extension can also be greater as mentioned also with respect to Figure 3.

It has been indicated by a dotted line V edge of a composite glass beyond which the flat conductor 4 it is prolonged in the definitive state, meeting the protective body 10 outside the compound. Inside of intermediate space between two different sheets of compound the flat conductor 4 is electrically connected to a component electric in a known way and that has therefore been omitted represent. In general, a distance of only a few is left mm between this edge of the glass and the protective body 10. Splicing areas or surfaces located in the compound intended for welding the flat conductor or its or its tracks conductors are generally very close to the edge cited above of the composite glass, such that the flat conductor 10 must not have a total length of some centimeters. The edge zone of the composite glass in the that the flat conductor is inserted, and in which it is put on electrical contact, is in most cases coated visually by a layer of opaque paint.

Figure 2 shows the layout better. inside, in addition to the flat conductor 4, which also includes, in addition to the conductive track 5, a carrier film 6 and a coating film 7, the stratification of the area of connection or section change zone. The movie of coating 7 covering the conductive track 5 ends in the cutting edge 8 surrounding the connection zone (see Figure 1). It should be noted that the elementary layers of the segments of the flat conductor are usually performed independently, it is say that they already have the lengths, contours and cuts necessary, and which are stratified below with the help of thin layers of tail. The body of protection 10 and its emptying 11.

A dosed amount of a soft solder 9 forms the electrical and mechanical connection between core 3 of cable 2 and the conductive track 5. It is clearly highlighted here that the end or the core 3 of the cable 2 rests on the conductive track 5. For simplify, welding 9 is not represented in more detail in Figure 1 and it is evident that the end of the cable can also be fully galvanized, unlike the representation, which is very simplified.

In the change of section the insulating mass transparent 14, only indicated by an oval in Figure 1, which has been placed in front of the protective body, covers all the welding zone, in particular all metal surfaces free, and also covers the cutting edge 8. However, no prevents seeing the welding zone. The function of insulating mass 14 is to ensure, by its adherence to the components that the surround, that is to say the metallic elements 3 and 5 of the connection, to welding 9 as well as films 6 and 7, which will not penetrate anything of humidity in this area. It is not necessary to fully cover the terminal segment of flat conductor 4 with insulating mass 14 when the latter adheres well enough to the films.

The insulating mass 14 has body edges common with the protective body 10 that is molded all around this mass, since this body is not molded more than after placement (and eventually hardening) of the insulating mass In a mass production the contours irregularly sketched out of insulating mass 14 will differ from a defined contour (see Figure 3) to be fixed after specification of an insulating mass volume 12, on the one hand, and of the mass of plastic material for the protective body, by other part, to a reproducible extent and with forms predetermined

In any case, the placement of the insulating mass represents a different stage of the procedure after the execution of which, carried out after the formation of the welded connection between the core 3 of the cable and the conductive track 5, a water tight connection has already been obtained.

Unlike the representation of the Figure 2, it may also be sufficient to mold the protective body 10 on the flat conductor 4 only on one side or on one side with lining the edges of the flat conductor 4 when its material adheres quite solidly to the film and the insulating mass. It then forms a coating of the section change in a single side.

In the section of Figure 2, it is further emphasized that the protection body 10 has, in its aforementioned terminal area 13, already mentioned, of the two sides of the flat conductor 4, sections that become thinner in the form of ramps 15 and that they form a progressive section change between the volume of the protective body, which is comparatively rigid with respect to the flat conductor and the cable, and the flexible flat conductor. In this way, in combination with the rounding of this edge in the width of the flat conductor 4, which is visible in Figure 1, a good protection is obtained with respect to the deteriorations of the flat conductor in the presence of solicitations
mechanical

To simplify, the protection body will Represents in one piece and homogeneous with the terminal area. Be you can make the latter from the same material as the body of protection. If desired, it can be made of one more material soft. The latter can be subsequently molded by injection in two components (or in an appropriate reversible device) on the previously molded protective body and over the conductor flat or also used for the terminal area of the pieces precast molds that must be solidly reattached to the protection body 10, and eventually to the flat conductor 4, of an appropriate way.

Figure 3 finally shows a close embodiment of the series in a sectional view. The insulating and sealing mass 14 is here molded with a contour defined by a molding tool, but this molding tool does not constitute the protective body and is removed after the latter is manufactured. In the embodiment according to Figure 2 the insulating and sealing mass is also placed independently of the protective body 10 and placed chronologically before this body, which is subsequently
molded

Figure 3 shows that the outline outside the insulating mass 14 is substantially analogous to the contour outside of the protective body (which, here, is only drawn in dashed line) and, in particular, also has a ramp shape that becomes thinner towards the driver's exit plane 4. The protection body 10 can then be made with a relatively thin wall, such that the insulating mass 14 has a certain buffer volume to absorb solicitations Bending mechanics of electrical conductors.

It should be remembered that this principle scheme cannot reproduce real thickness ratios well. In in reality, the thickness of the protection body 10 is only of some millimeters

Claims (16)

1. Connection of electrical conductors (1) having a section change between a flat conductor (4) comprising a supporting film (6) and at least one conductive track (5), and a cable (2), in which it is provided, in said section change, at least one electrical connection between the conductive track (s) and the cable, a connection that is completely covered by an adhesive mass insulating the electricity, and in which the section change and the electrical connection they are covered by a relatively rigid supplementary protection body (10), as a supplement to the adherent mass, characterized in that the insulating and adherent sealing mass (14) is permanently elastic, and by the fact that the protective body (10) It is placed chronologically after the placement of the insulating mass (14), so that it completely encloses the latter, with common boundary surfaces. 2. Conductor connection according to claim 1, characterized in that the insulating and sealing mass (14) is made with a body shape defined by means of a molding tool independent of the protective body (10). 3. Conductor connection according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the protective body (10) is molded from a plastic material on one or each of the two flat sides of the flat conductor (4) . 4. Connection of conductors according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one terminal area (13) of the protective body (10) pointing towards the flat conductor (4) is mechanically flexible. 5. Conductor connection according to claim 4, characterized in that in the terminal area (13), the protective body (10) has at least one ramp (15) that descends towards its edge directed towards the flat conductor ( 4). 6. Connection of conductors according to one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the terminal area (13) is made of a softer material than that of the protective body (10). 7. Connection of conductors according to one of the preceding claims 4 to 6, characterized in that at least the terminal area (13) has a rounding towards the flat conductor (4). 8. Connection of conductors according to one of the preceding claims, whose flat conductor (4) also has a coating film (7) covering its conductive tracks (5), characterized in that, in the area of each electrical connection With the cable, the covering film has a cutting edge (8) to form a recess that is not wider than twice the width of the connection surface between the conductive track (5) considered and the cable (2) . 9. Connection of conductors according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protective body (10) has at least one recess (11) that serves for the visual control of the connection area, and the insulating mass It is made of an optically transparent plastic material. 10. Connecting conductors according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the insulating mass (14) is made of a polyamide, an acrylate glue, an epoxy glue or a silicone. 11. Connecting conductors according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protective body (10) comprises at least one fixing element (12) intended to be fixed in a mounting environment. 12. Method of manufacturing an electrical conductor connection (1) having a section change between a flat conductor (4), comprising a supporting film (6) and at least one conductive track (5), and a cable ( 2, 3), in which at least one electrical connection between the conductive track (s) (5) and the cable (2, 3) is made in said section change, characterized by the following steps: - fully cover the electrical connection with an adherent mass (14), permanently elastic and insulating from the electricity, - mold an additional protection body (10), relatively rigid in the mechanical aspect, which covers the section change and electrical connection, as well as mass adherent (14). 13. Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the insulating mass of the electricity (14) is molded with the aid of a molding tool independent of the protective body (10). 14. Method according to one of claims 12 or 13, characterized in that the insulating mass of the electricity (14) is molded so as to cover the two flat sides of the flat conductor (4). 15. Method according to one of claims 12, 13 or 14, characterized in that the protective body (10) is placed by overmolding the insulating mass (14). 16. Composite glass comprising at least two transparent rigid sheets of glass and / or plastic material, and a glue layer or film that joins them by means of an adhesive bond and over a large surface, as well as at least one electrical component that has a external connection comprising a flat conductor (4) that extends outside beyond the outer edge (V) of the composite glass, and which comprises a segment immersed in the tail layer between the two sheets, characterized by the fact that The external connection is formed by a conductor connection (1) made or produced according to one of the preceding claims, and whose protective body (10) is outside the composite glass.