Patent Application
20250047015
This application claims benefit of priority to European Patent Application No. 23189510.3 filed on Aug. 3, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a cable housing, a cable housing system, and a method for assembling a cable housing system.
In modern vehicles, the transmission of electric power and signals is becoming increasingly important. This particularly applies to hybrid and electric vehicles, whose functionality is highly based on a stable supply of electric energy.
To transmit electric power and/or signals to different parts of a vehicle a splicing of cables is regularly required. Exemplarily, a cable may need to be spliced to provide electricity to an electric engine attached to a left wheel of a vehicle and to an electric engine attached to a right wheel of the vehicle.
To provide one or more splices within a single assembly, splice savers which may be also referred to as splice saver connectors and/or splice saver housings are used. Thereby, an example of a splice saver as presently used in the art is illustrated in
First, the aspect that all terminals 3000 that belong to the splice saver 4000 are supposed to be mounted to one terminal 2000 regularly results in production difficulties, is complicated to automize, and/or bears the risk of poor connections which may not withstand the requirements in the automotive sector.
Second, the aspect that for establishing an electric connection between the terminals 3000 an intermediate element, i.e. a metal busbar 1000, is required often leads to poor connections and/or increased resistances.
Third, the provision of the busbar 1000 requires additional manufacturing and processing steps as well as additional material.
Thus, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a cable housing, a cable housing system, and a method for assembling a cable housing system that overcome the aforementioned drawbacks at least partially.
A cable housing includes a cable mounting slot in a wall of the housing. It will be understood that the cable mounting slot may be an elongated and narrow opening. Further, the cable mounting slot may extend through the cable housing wall, preferably in a substantially straight manner.
The slot includes a cable-insertion portion configured to receive a cable. The cable-insertion portion has a first width.
Further, the slot includes a cable-retention portion configured to retain the cable by force fit and/or form fit. The cable-retention portion has a second width which is smaller than the first width.
It is understood that the cable may be easily inserted into the cable-insertion portion, when the diameter of the cable is smaller than the first width. Further it is understood that the cable may be easily retained within the cable-retention portion by force fit and/or form fit, when the diameter of the cable is larger than the second width.
By means of the cable-insertion portion and the cable-retention portion an easy insertion and subsequent retention of the cable may be achieved in the cable housing without the necessity to conduct extensive fixation operations and/or providing additional fixation elements.
The two cables which the cable housing is supposed to accommodate, i.e., also the cable mentioned above, may include a conductor material. The conductor material may include one or more of the following: copper, aluminum, a copper-based alloy and/or an aluminum-based alloy. Further, the conductor material may include brass. The two cables may be rigid and/or flexible. Moreover, the two cables may be at least partially surrounded by an isolation. The isolation is preferably removed or removable from a portion of each of the two cables. Particularly, the portions may be prepared so that connecting the two cables by ultrasonically welding them together is possible.
Further, the splice saver which may be also referred to as splice saver connector and/or splice saver housing may be configured for providing one or more splices within a single assembly.
The cable housing may include a fixation device which can be switched between an open state and a closed state. The open state may be referred to as a state where the cable may be inserted and/or removed from the cable housing. The closed state may be referred to as a state where the cable may not be inserted and/or not be removed from the cable housing. The fixation device may be configured to at least partially close the cable-insertion portion when being in the closed state. Moreover, the fixation device is preferably configured to extend into the cable-retention portion when being in the closed state. By extending into the cable-retention portion when being in the closed state, the fixation device may exert a pressure onto a cable being arranged inside the cable-retention portion. The fixation of the cable inside the cable housing may be improved.
Even further preferably the fixation device includes a living hinge. The living hinge may be also referred to as film hinge. A living hinge is defined as a thin flexible hinge made from the same material as the two rigid pieces it connects. Living hinges allow for minimal friction and/or very little wear. Further, they are of low cost and/or ease of manufacturing. The living hinge may be integrally formed with the cable housing and a fixation element which is movable relative to the cable housing. Exemplarily, the living hinge may be integrally formed with the cable housing and the fixation element by means of injection molding. Particularly injection molding allows for a very fast and/or accurate manufacturing. It is understood that the fixation element may be configured to at least partially close the cable-insertion portion when being in the closed state. Moreover, it is understood that the fixation element is preferably configured to extend into the cable-retention portion when being in the closed state.
The fixation device may be configured to press the cable against one end of the slot. The end is preferably on the opposite end of the slot than the cable-insertion portion. By pressing the cable against one end of the slot, the cable may be safely retained within the cable housing. Moreover, a movement of the cable within the slot may be avoided. Wear and tear of the cable and/or the cable housing may thereby be avoided.
The cable-retention portion includes a knife edge configured to retain the cable by means of force fit and/or form fit. Preferably the knife edge is configured for pressing in and/or cutting in the cable. The knife edge may include a polymer and/or a metallic material. Polymers may be preferred due to their outstanding insulative properties and/or easy manufacturing. Particularly, the knife edge may be configured for pressing in and/or cutting in an isolation of the cable. The knife edge may not contact a conductor within the cable, thereby conductive properties may be maintained on a high level. Preferably, the knife edge(s) is (are) integrally formed with the connector housing.
The cable-retention portion may include two knife edges configured to retain the cable by means of force fit and/or form fit. Preferably the two knife edges are substantially parallel and/or define the second width. More preferably, the two knife edges are configured for pressing in and/or cutting in the cable. The two knife edges may include a polymer and/or a metallic material. Polymers may be preferred due to their outstanding insulative properties and/or easy manufacturing, e.g., by means of injection molding. Particularly, the two knife edges may be configured for pressing in and/or cutting in an isolation of the cable. The knife edge may not contact a conductor within the cable, thereby preferred conductive properties may be maintained.
Preferably, the knife edge(s) is (are) integrally formed with the connector housing.
The fixation device may be configured to press the cable towards the knife edge or to press the cable between the two knife edges. A force fit and/or a form fit between the cable and the knife edge or the two knife edges is thereby obtained. Hence, fixation of the cable within the cable housing may be further improved and/or movements of the cable may be avoided or reduced.
The knife edge or the two knife edges may extend along the slot. Hence, the cable which is inserted into the cable-insertion portion and pressed into the cable-retention portion, e.g., by means of the fixation device, may slide along the knife edge or the two knife edges. The cable is fixed in the cable housing when entering the cable-retention portion without the need for further means. Moreover, in the above configuration. The knife edge or the two knife edges extend along the slot it is particularly preferred when two cables are supposed to be inserted into the slot. This is as the cables may then be held back in a row and supported against each other by means of an uncomplicated configuration.
The cable housing may include two slots, preferably three slots. Thus, the cable housing may allow for sufficient space for a number of cables which are required in automotive projects. Further, the above-mentioned fixation device may fixate a cable within each of the slots. Two slots and three slots have proven to be particularly preferred regarding an interaction with the fixation device.
Further, one of the slots is configured to receive two cables, preferably three cables. Slots being configured to receive two cables provide the advantage that the inserted cables may be supported against each other.
The object according to the present invention is further partially achieved by a cable housing system which includes the cable housing as described above, and two cables accommodated in the housing. Since the cable housing system includes the cable housing as described above it is understood that the advantages described above also apply to the cable housing system. Further, aspects which are mentioned above with regards to cables for the cable housing also apply to the cable housing system.
The object according to the present invention is further partially achieved by a method in accordance with claim 11. In particular, by a method for assembling a cable housing system including the following steps:
Step c) may be conducted in that a gripper of an automatic wire harness assembly machine inserts the cable, which preferably has been cut and stripped in a pre-process, through a cable-insertion portion of one slot.
Step d) may be conducted in that after the gripper has inserted the cable, the gripper mounts the cable in the slot by moving it into the cable-retention portion. The cable may be connected to the cable housing and optionally slightly clamped by the above-described knife edge or two knife edges. Then the gripper may open its jaws and release the cable. The cable is fixed and cannot fall out.
The method may further include the following step after step b), preferably after step e): ultrasonically welding together portions of the two cables. Preferably the portions of the two cables which are welded together were each inserted through the cable housing. The two cables may be welded into a splice and connected together electrically and mechanically.
Moreover, the method may further include the following step: closing the cable housing by switching the fixation device from the open state to the closed state. The fixation device may at least partially close the cable-insertion portion. Thus, no cable may fall out of the cable housing. Moreover, the fixation device may then extend into the cable-retention portion. By extending into the cable-retention portion when being in the closed state, the fixation device may exert a pressure onto a cable being arranged inside the cable-retention portion. The fixation of the cable inside the cable housing may be improved.
Preferably, in all the embodiments disclosed herein, the housing or housing system does not include a metal bus bar.
The present invention is now described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
A non-limiting example of a cable housing is depicted in
Each of the slots 2, 3, 4 includes a cable-insertion portion configured to receive a cable and a cable-retention portion configured to retain the cable by force fit and/or form fit.
In
As depicted in
As shown in
In
In
While this invention has been described in terms of the preferred embodiments thereof, it is not intended to be so limited, but rather only to the extent set forth in the claims that follow. For example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be made to configure a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. Dimensions, types of materials, orientations of the various components, and the number and positions of the various components described herein are intended to define parameters of certain embodiments and are by no means limiting and are merely prototypical embodiments.
Many other embodiments and modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the following claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
As used herein, ‘one or more’ includes a function being performed by one element, a function being performed by more than one element, e.g., in a distributed fashion, several functions being performed by one element, several functions being performed by several elements, or any combination of the above.
It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. are, in some instances, used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first contact could be termed a second contact, and, similarly, a second contact could be termed a first contact, without departing from the scope of the various described embodiments. The first contact and the second contact are both contacts, but they are not the same contact.
The terminology used in the description of the various described embodiments herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various described embodiments and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “includes,” and/or “including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
As used herein, the term “if” is, optionally, construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting.” depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated condition or event] is detected” is, optionally, construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],” depending on the context.
Additionally, while terms of ordinance or orientation may be used herein these elements should not be limited by these terms. All terms of ordinance or orientation, unless stated otherwise, are used for purposes distinguishing one element from another, and do not denote any order of arrangement, order of operations, direction or orientation unless stated otherwise.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23189510.3 | Aug 2023 | EP | regional |
