Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R16/00—Electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for; Arrangement of elements of electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for
  • B60R16/02—Electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for; Arrangement of elements of electric or fluid circuits specially adapted for vehicles and not otherwise provided for electric constitutive elements
  • B60R16/0207—Wire harnesses
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R12/00—Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, specially adapted for printed circuits, e.g. printed circuit boards [PCB], flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, e.g. terminal strips, terminal blocks; Coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures; Terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures
  • H01R12/50—Fixed connections
  • H01R12/59—Fixed connections for flexible printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables or like structures
  • H01R12/592—Fixed connections for flexible printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables or like structures connections to contact elements
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
  • H01R13/52—Dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof cases
  • H01R13/5202—Sealing means between parts of housing or between housing part and a wall, e.g. sealing rings
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/58—Means for relieving strain on wire connection, e.g. cord grip, for avoiding loosening of connections between wires and terminals within a coupling device terminating a cable
  • H01R13/5845—Means for relieving strain on wire connection, e.g. cord grip, for avoiding loosening of connections between wires and terminals within a coupling device terminating a cable the strain relief being achieved by molding parts around cable and connections

Definitions

• the present invention generally relates to a flat flexible cable, and more particularly, to a flat flexible cable including an overmold with integrally-formed sealing members.
• Flexible flat cables are used to an increasing degree in automobile manufacture as a replacement for ordinary cable harnesses consisting of round conductors.
• Various advantages are gained during use of the flexible flat cable harnesses in contrast to round cable harnesses.
• rectangular conductors By using rectangular conductors, greater amounts of current can be transferred in comparison with round conductors. Therefore, rectangular conductors may be smaller, without comprising performance. The result is a reduction in weight and space allocation for flexible flat cables.
• each cable seal consisting of ribbed cables are commonly utilized as an acceptable method for sealing individual cables in wet areas of the automotive electrical distribution system (EDS).
• EDS automotive electrical distribution system
• each cable is isolated and sealed to the round wire insulation by a seal crimp at the electrical interface terminal and then collectively received into an electrical connector. Sealing each individual cable is conventionally done through an automated process.
• each cable must be sealed using an adhesive or a sealant during a secondaiy process. Such methods may be cumbersome and may add material and labor cost to the manufacturing process.
• a flat flexible cable assembly comprising a flat flexible cable including a substantially rectangular conductor; an overmold encapsulating a portion of the substantially rectangular conductor; and a sealing member integrally-formed with and extending from the overmold, wherein the sealing member encapsulates the substantially rectangular conductor to form a seal.
• a method of manufacturing a flat flexible cable assembly comprising a flat flexible cable including a substantially rectangular conductor, the method comprising the steps of: placing a flat flexible cable assembly within a mold tool; and introducing an overmold material into the mold tool and covering a portion of the flat flexible cable to form an overmold that encapsulates a portion of the flat flexible cable and to form a sealing member integrally-formed with the overmold, wherein the sealing member encapsulates a portion of the substantially rectangular conductor to form a seal.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a flat flexible cable assembly comprising a flat flexible cable including an overmold with integrally-formed sealing members according to an exemplary embodiment.
• Figure 2 is a top view of the flat flexible cable assembly of Figure 1.
• Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the flexible flat cable assembly of Figure 1 illustrating the flat flexible cable assembly inserted into a sealed connector according to an exemplary embodiment.
• a flat flexible cable assembly such as a ribbon cable assembly, may be used to connect electrical components (not shown) in "wet" areas of an automotive electrical distribution system (not shown). These "wet" areas are known in the industry, and may include, for example, parts of the engine where fluids are present.
• the cable assembly 10 comprises a flat flexible cable 11 including a plurality of conductors 12 encapsulated by an insulating sheath 14.
• Each conductor 12 may be substantially rectangular in cross-sectional shape.
• the insulating sheath 14 is made of a material known in the art that is capable of electrically insulating the conductors 12 from one another.
• the conductors 12 and the sheath 14 may be manufactured by using a co ⁇ extmsion process.
• the conductors 12 may be made from any conductive material, such as, for example, aluminum, copper, or the like.
• the insulating sheath 14 is known in the art, and may be manufactured from any number of materials.
• the sheath 14 may be made of a silicone rubber, a polymer, such as polyvinylchloride (PVC), and the like.
• Factors to take into consideration when deciding upon the material properties of the insulating sheath 14 include, amongst others, the maximum operating voltage of the rectangular conductors 12 and the temperature of the environment where the ribbon cable assembly 10 may be located.
• a terminal 18 that provides an electrical connection point is formed by stamping and forming in a progressive die. Attachment of the terminal is accomplished by stripping the insulating sheath 14 at one end of each conductor 12 and crimping, or welding the appropriate portion of the terminal to conductor 12. As illustrated in the embodiment, the flat flexible cable assembly 10 includes two conductors 12 and two terminals 18. However, it can be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the number of conductors 12 and terminals 18, and that the invention can be practiced with any desired number of conductors 12 and terminals 18.
• the insulating sheath 14 includes a means for providing a discontinuity in the insulating sheath 14.
• the discontinuity may be in the form of one or more barrier slots 24 formed in the insulating sheath 14 proximate to the connector 16.
• the discontinuity may be in the form of slits, and the like.
• the discontinuity of the insulating sheath 14 provides an interruption or "hazardous path" to prevent moisture from wicking from one terminal to another without causing a complete disruption in the function of the cable assembly 10.
• the barrier slots 24 are generally rectangular in shape. However, it can be appreciated that barrier slots 24 are not limited to a rectangular shape and may be any desired shape.
• one or more barrier slots 24 can be provided between adjacent conductors 12 and/or between a conductor 12 and the outer edge of the sheath 14.
• more than one barrier slot 24 may be located in series along adjacent conductors 12 to form a perforation proximate to the connector 16.
• a plurality of barrier slots 24 can be provided in a staggered or random relationship to each other.
• the cable assembly 10 includes an overmold 26 that encapsulates a portion of the cable assembly 10 and includes one or more sealing members 28 integrally-formed with the overmold 26 that encapsulates each conductor 12 at the point it attaches to terminal 18 to form a seal for each individual conductor 12.
• the overmold 26 and the one or more integrally-formed sealing members 28 are formed by using an overmold process.
• the cable assembly 10 is placed within a mold tool (not shown) and the overmold material is introduced into the mold tool such that the overmold material covers a portion of the conductors 12 at the point it attaches to terminal 18 and also to cover a portion of the insulating sheath 14 proximate the stripped, bare conductors 12.
• the overmold 26 is positively secured to the insulating sheath 14 while having integrally-formed individual sealing members 28 encapsulating each conductor 12 that has been stripped of the insulating sheath 14.
• the sealing member 28 may be formed in a well-known manner by including a configuration (not shown) in the mold tool, which may be impressed into the tool, that allows each terminal 18 of the plurality of conductors 12 to be individually sealed by the sealing member 28 during the overmold process.
• the overmold material used in forming the overmold 26 may be any flexible plastic molding material, such as a thermoplastic elastomer (TPU) material, and the like. Further, it can be appreciated that overmold 26 may also contain insulation properties, similar to electronically insulating sheath 14. As shown in Figure 2, the overmold 26 does not completely cover the barrier slot(s) 24, thereby allowing the barrier slots 24 to provide strain relief for the cable assembly 10.
• the sealing member 28 may be manufactured from the same material as the overmold 26. Alternatively, the sealing member 28 may be manufactured from a different, second material by using a two-shot process.
• the overmold process serves a dual purpose: 1) to form the overmold 26 that is positively secured to the insulating sheath 14 of the flat flexible cable assembly 10, and 2) to form the individual sealing member(s) 28 that extend from the overmold 26 and encapsulate each conductor 12 to form an individual seal around each conductor 12.
• the one or more sealing members 28 may comprise one or more ribs 30 that extend circumferentially from a central, tubular member 32.
• the tubular member 32 encompasses the conductors 12 and extends over a portion of terminals 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the ends of terminals 18 remain exposed.
• one rib 32 may be located proximate the overmold 26 to provide additional sealing protection for the overmold 26. While three ribs 30 are shown, it can be appreciated that the invention can be practiced with any desired number of ribs 30 that are capable of providing an adequate seal for each conductor 12.
• the terminals 18 may be inserted into a sealed connector 34 for an automotive electrical component such as, a power outlet, or the like.
• the terminals 18 of the cable assembly 10 may be inserted into a corresponding number of individual cavities 36 of the sealed connector 34 to engage connection points (not shown) of the sealed connector 34.
• the ribs 30 of each individual sealing member 28 engage an inner surface 38 of a respective cavity 36. Therefore, the diameter 40 of the ribs 30 for each sealing member 28 is approximately equal to, or may be slightly larger than the diameter 42 of each individual cavity 36 of the sealed connector 34.
• the sealing member 28 of cable assembly 10 is positively retained by the sealed connector 34, while sealing each individual cavity 36 from containments, including fluid containments.
• the sealing member 28 that is integrally-formed with the overmold 26 seals against access, leakage, or passage of fluids into the sealed connector 34, particularly when the cable assembly 10 is utilized in the "wet" areas of the automobile.
• sealing member 28 having any desired shape or size, so long as sealing member 28 engages and seals the individual cavities 36 of the sealed connector 34 and provides an adequate seal.
• the ribs 30 may be omitted and the sealing member 28 may have a diameter 40 approximately equal to, or may be slightly larger than the diameter 42 of each individual cavity 36 of the sealed connector 34.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
• Insulated Conductors (AREA)
• Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=37946509

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (17)

Family Cites Families (17)

• 2006
  • 2006-01-11 US US11/329,857 patent/US7309256B2/en active Active
• 2007
  • 2007-01-10 KR KR1020087019442A patent/KR20080106893A/ko not_active Ceased
  • 2007-01-10 WO PCT/US2007/060301 patent/WO2007082221A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2007-01-10 CN CN2007800061022A patent/CN101505999B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-01-10 KR KR1020147018348A patent/KR101518192B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-01-10 JP JP2008550483A patent/JP5373401B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2007-01-10 EP EP07710026A patent/EP1973763A2/en not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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