Abstract:
Cabling for a motor vehicle includes a fluid hose, a cable for heating the fluid hose and at least one electrical connector for connecting the cable to an electrical supply, with the fluid hose and the cable being completely surrounded by an external protective sheath. It is possible to provide heated cabling, with a fluid hose and an electrical cable being completely encapsulated.

Description:
[0001]     The present application is a continuation of International Application PCT/SE2005/000284, filed Feb. 25, 2005, which claims priority to SE 0400454-5, filed Feb. 25, 2004, both of which are incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to electrically eatable cabling, preferably intended to be used in vehicles.  
         [0003]     In vehicles, there are containers for fluids that are used for various functions in the vehicle. In certain cases, there is a need to. ensure that these fluids are at a particular temperature, in order for them to work in the way intended. In other cases, it is only important to ensure that the fluids do not freeze. In these cases, a fluid tank can, for example, be provided with a heating device designed to thaw the fluid when it is frozen. When the vehicle is started up, the fluid is thawed by the heating device. In order for the fluid system to function satisfactorily, the liquid in the hose leading from the fluid tank should also be thawed. This requires the hose also to be provided with a heating device in order to thaw fluid that has frozen in the hose.  
         [0004]     The present invention can be utilized for heating of various hoses, not just for vehicle applications, but in the following, for the purpose of illustration and not for the purpose of limiting the scope of the invention, it will be described in particular how the invention can be used for heating a hose that carries urea, also called AdBlue, which is used for cleaning exhaust gases originating from a combustion motor. A problem associated with the use of urea is, however, that in cold weather urea can freeze in the container and/or in associated hoses. If the urea freezes, this can in turn mean that urea can not be provided in the way intended. It is therefore necessary to be able to heat the hoses that transport urea. There are various ways of heating the fluid in a hose. One way is to heat the hose with the cooling water. This means that the heating is delayed until the motor has warmed up, and also that a number of extra hoses, connections, etc, are required, which is expensive and complicated. A simpler way is to heat the hose using electricity.  
         [0005]     In addition, there are vehicles that are intended for the transportation of dangerous goods, for which special safety requirements apply. There are national safety requirements drawn up by each individual country, and also international agreements that regulate safety requirements at an international level. One such international agreement is “The European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR)”, agreed in Geneva on the 30th of Sep. 1957 under the auspices of UNECE. This agreement has since been updated. The agreement regulates how dangerous goods are to be transported in goods vehicles by road. One of the requirements is that the vehicle&#39;s supply voltage must be able to be cut off while it is travelling, for example when the driver activates an emergency cut-off switch in the cab, when the system detects a safety-related occurrence or in the event of an accident. In addition, the electrical cabling must be encapsulated. For certain vehicles, there are also requirements that the electrical cabling must fulfill protection classification IP69K. One of the requirements for this protection classification is that all electrical cabling must be completely encapsulated. This encapsulation can be carried out using, for example, corrugated plastic hose.  
         [0006]     Vehicles that are to be ADR-classified must usually be specially ordered with special equipment that ensures that the vehicle meets the requirements laid down. In order not to need to have to redesign the whole vehicle when an ADR-classified vehicle is to be manufactured, it is advantageous for as much as possible of the vehicle&#39;s standard equipment to meet the requirements of the ADR classification. This reduces the number of components, which simplifies the production. As an ADR-classified component is often more robust than a standard component, this is also advantageous for the quality of the vehicle.  
         [0007]     Providing an ADR-classified vehicle with a fluid hose that is heated electrically is a difficult problem. As the fluid hose needs to be able to be connected and disconnected, there must be connectors for the hose and the electrical connection also requires electrical connectors. At the same time, all electrical cabling must be encapsulated so that no part of the cable is unprotected.  
         [0008]     There are several known proposals for how a heated fluid hose can be achieved. WO 200238426A, EP 45024 A and DE 29715336 describe systems where a heating cable lies inside the fluid hose. A disadvantage is that such a solution can cause leakage at the connection points where the cable enters the hose. In addition, it is not desirable to lead a cable in urea.  
         [0009]     U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,377A, EP 616166A, EP 1040973A and DE 19844486A describe fluid hoses where the heating cable is integrated in the wall of the hose, and where the leads are provided with some form of special electrical connector for connecting the electrical current, with the electrical connector also being attached to the hose. The disadvantage of these solutions is that they require a special electrical connector. To provide similar systems for a special vehicle, for example a goods vehicle, therefore requires a special electrical connector to be produced. This is an expensive solution. Nor is such a solution particularly robust, as a large electrical connector attached to a narrow hose is a mechanically unsatisfactory solution.  
         [0010]     DE 3900821C, EP 1329660A, DE 19844485A, DE 3900821C describe fluid hoses in which the heating cable is integrated in the wall of the hose. The connection of the heating cable can be carried out in a conventional way, which means that the heating cable is unprotected where it comes out of the hose.  
         [0011]     It is therefore desirable to provide an electrically heated fluid hose, in which the electrical cable is completely protected from, for example, mechanical forces or wear and tear.  
         [0012]     It is desirable to provide an electrically heated fluid hose in which the electrical cable for heating the fluid hose is completely protected.  
         [0013]     According to an aspect of the invention, cabling for a motor vehicle comprises a fluid hose, a cable for heating the fluid hose, and at least one electrical connector for connecting the cable to an electrical supply, wherein the fluid hose and the cable are completely enclosed in an external protective sheath, which protective sheath is connected to the electrical connector through a connector of the electrical connector.  
         [0014]     With cabling for a motor vehicle, comprising a fluid hose, a cable for heating the fluid hose and at least one electrical connector for connecting the cable to an electrical supply, according to an aspect of the invention, the fluid hose and the cable are surrounded by an external protective sheath.  
         [0015]     By means of this aspect of the cabling according to the invention, cabling is achieved in which a heated fluid hose and an electrical cable are completely enclosed in a protective sheath. The object of this is to fulfill, in a simple way and without expensive special components, the safety requirements that require all electrical cables to be completely protected.  
         [0016]     In an advantageous further aspect of the cabling according to the invention, the fluid hose comprises connectors. The advantage of this is that the cabling can be connected to and disconnected from a fluid system in a simple way.  
         [0017]     In an advantageous further aspect of the cabling according to the invention, the protective sheath comprises at least one corrugated plastic hose and at least one connector. The advantage of this is that the protective sheath can be constructed from inexpensive standard components.  
         [0018]     In an advantageous further aspect of the cabling according to the invention, the the hose connector and the electrical connector are separate from each other. The advantage of this is that inexpensive standard electrical connectors and standard hose connectors can be used.  
         [0019]     In an advantageous further aspect of the cabling according to the invention, the cabling comprises a sealing element that seals the end sections of the fluid hose between a hose connector and the protective sheath. The advantage of this is that the sealing element means that the hose is completely enclosed by a protective sheath without expensive special components being required.  
         [0020]     In an advantageous further aspect of the cabling according to the invention, the cabling comprises a sealing element that forms a seal directly against a corrugated hose. The advantage of this is that a simple seal is obtained. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0021]     The invention will be described in greater detail in the following, with reference to embodiments that are shown in the attached drawings, in which:  
         [0022]      FIG. 1  shows a first embodiment of cabling according to the invention in cross-section,  
         [0023]      FIG. 2  shows the second embodiment of cabling according to the invention, and  
         [0024]      FIG. 3  shows a sealing element for cabling according to the invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0025]     The embodiments of the invention and further developments described in the following are only to be regarded as examples and are in no way to limit the protection provided by the patent claims. In the embodiments described here, the same reference numerals in the different figures refer to the same type of component. Each component is therefore not described in detail in all the embodiments.  
         [0026]      FIG. 1  shows cabling  1  according to the invention in cross-section, comprising a fluid hose  2 , for example made of rubber, with integrated heating cable  3  for heating the hose  2 . The hose  2  and the heating cable  3  are enclosed in a protective sheath  7 . In this example, the heating cable  3  consists of two leads  3   a ,  3   b  which are embedded in the wall of the hose  2 . At the first end section  4  of the cabling, the heating cable  3  is separated from the hose  2  so that it can be led to the electrical connector  6 . At the other end section  5  of the cabling, the heating cable  3  is separated from the hose  2  so that the leads  3   a  and  3   b  can be connected together to create a closed circuit (not shown). It is, of course, also possible to use a separate cable that is attached to the outside of the hose or that lies loose inside the protective sheath  7 .  
         [0027]     The hose  2  is provided with hose connectors  8 , 9  that are attached to the hose by means of locking rings  10 . The hose connectors  8  and  9  are a straight and angled connector respectively, designed to be connected to a matching connector. They can, for example, be hose-mounted connectors or connectors mounted on other units, such as a pump, a vaporizer or a tank. Other types of connector are also possible where required. It is also possible to connect the hose  2  directly to a stub pipe on a unit, for example on a pump, where such is desirable.  
         [0028]     The protective sheath  7  of the cabling is here constructed of a system with corrugated plastic hoses and associated connectors. The cabling that is shown in  FIG. 1  comprises a hose  11  with an internal cross-section that exceeds the external cross-section of the hose  2 . In addition, the cabling comprises an intermediate piece  12 , a branching piece  13  and a hose  14  that takes the leads  3   a ,  3   b  to the electrical connector  6 . The hose  11  and the hose  14  have here different cross-sections, as the heating cable  3  has a smaller cross-section than the hose  2 . In order to achieve a seal between the connectors  12 , 13  and the hose  2 , each end section comprises a sealing element  15 . The sealing element  15  can be a standardized bushing element in the form of a rubber bushing or a membrane bushing, for example of the type that is used as a cable bushing in electrical apparatuses. This means that all the cabling is constructed of standard components, which means that the finished cabling is simple and inexpensive to assemble. It is also possible for the sealing element  15  to be manufactured specially when a standardized sealing element is not suitable.  
         [0029]     Each opening in each connector is provided with an inner projecting collar  19  in the vicinity of the opening. This collar is designed to hold the corrugated hose fixed in the connector. A connector consists of two halves that are snapped together during assembly. This means that the collars in each half combine to hold the corrugated hose fixed in the longitudinal direction, as the collars interact with a corrugation in the corrugated hose. The sealing element  15  is therefore advantageously provided with a groove  22  that fits the collar  19  of the connector in order, in this way, to fix the sealing element in the connector. The sealing element can be constructed in several ways, but an advantageous embodiment is a saucer-shaped element with an opening  23  in the middle that corresponds to the external diameter of the hose connector where it is connected to the fluid hose  2  and with a groove  22  in the edge surface that corresponds to the collar  19  in the connector. The electrical connector  6  also comprises a connector with a collar for holding the corrugated hose fixed in position. It is, of course, also possible to integrate the sealing element in a connector, that is to design the connector in such a way that an opening is designed to fit and make a seal directly against a hose connector.  
         [0030]      FIG. 2  shows another embodiment of cabling  20  according to the invention. This cabling  20  is constructed in a similar way to the cabling  1  described above. The cabling  20  is not shown in cross section, for which reason the enclosed components are not shown. It is, however, constructed from the same type of standard components as in  FIG. 1  and has thus the same reference numerals.  
         [0031]     The cabling  20  comprises a fluid hose  2  with integrated heating cable  3  for heating the hose  2 . The hose  2  and the heating cable  3  are enclosed in a protective sheath  21 . In this example, the heating cable  3  is separated from the hose  2  at both ends of the hose so that the cable can be taken to the respective electrical connectors  18 . An electrical connector is used here at each end of the cabling, for example to take current to an additional heating circuit.  
         [0032]     The hose  2  is here provided with hose connectors  9  and  17  which are attached to the hose by means of locking rings  10 . The hose connector  9  is an angled connector, and the hose connector  17  is a straight connector for making a connection to, for example, a pump or other cabling.  
         [0033]     The protective sheath of the cabling is also here constructed of a system with corrugated plastic hose and associated connectors. The protective sheath  21  consists of a hose  11 , two branching pieces  13  and two hoses  14  that lead the heating cable  3  to the electrical connectors  18 . In order to achieve a seal between the two connectors  13  and the hose  2 , each end section comprises a sealing element  15 , as described above.  
         [0034]      FIG. 3  shows a sealing element  15  for making a seal between a connector  12 , 13  and the hose  2 . The sealing element  15  is here designed as a saucer-shaped element with an opening  23  in the middle that corresponds to the external diameter of a hose connector where it is connected to the fluid hose and with a groove  22  in the edge surface that matches the collar  19  in a connector. The sealing element  15  can have a recess in one side surface that is designed to fit against the hose  2 . In this way, the level of sealing is increased. The sealing element  15  makes it possible to provide cabling that combines a system with corrugated plastic hose and associated connectors, normally intended for electrical cabling, with a fluid hose and a heating cable. The advantage of this system is that it is constructed of inexpensive standard components.  
         [0035]     The mounting of a sealing element  15  is carried out in the following way. The part of the hose connector that makes a connection with the fluid hose is passed through the opening  23  and into the fluid hose  2 . When a membrane bushing is used as sealing element, the hose connector is inserted through the membrane using a suitable tool. Thereafter the fluid hose is fixed onto the hose connector with the locking ring  10 . The fluid hose advantageously makes contact with the sealing element  15 . This means that a sound seal is achieved between the fluid hose  2  and the protective sheath  7 . The sealing element  15  is advantageously made of a rigid or slightly flexible material, such as a polymer or rubber.  
         [0036]     In certain cases, the fluid hose is not provided with a hose connector but instead the fluid hose is intended to be connected directly to, for example, a stub pipe on a tank. In these circumstances, the sealing element  15  is designed in such a way that the opening  23  in the sealing element is matched to the external diameter of the fluid hose  2 . This means that the hose protrudes through the sealing element, while at the same time a sound seal is obtained between the fluid hose and a connector. In certain cases, it is advantageous to use a sealing element that forms a seal directly between the fluid hose  2  and the protective sheath  7 , in particular when only a straight connection is required.  
         [0037]     It is also possible to design special connectors that are specially designed to form a seal with a fluid hose, although this is a considerably more expensive and less flexible solution. Instead of a number of special connectors, it is now sufficient to have a special sealing element. Another advantage of a separate sealing element is associated with the assembly. The sealing element is mounted on the fluid hose in such a way that a complete fluid hose with sealing element and separated cables can be supplied to the assembly point, for example a cable loom manufacturer, for assembly of the cabling. This means that the cable loom manufacturer does not need to have special connectors, but instead can manage with the normal standard range. This is also advantageous in the event of a service, where the workshop only has standard components available.  
         [0038]     In the present application, the use of terms such as “including” is open-ended and is intended to have the same meaning as terms such as “comprising” and not preclude the presence of other structure, material, or acts. Similarly, though the use of terms such as “can” or “may” is intended to be open-ended and to reflect that structure, material, or acts are not necessary, the failure to use such terms is not intended to reflect that structure, material, or acts are essential. To the extent that structure, material, or acts are presently considered to be essential, they are identified as such.  
         [0039]     The invention is not to be regarded as being limited to the embodiments described above, a number of additional variations and modifications being possible within the framework of the following patent claims. The cabling can, for example, not only be used for vehicles, but also for other applications in which a hose that is to be heated must be completely encapsulated. 
         1  cabling      2  fluid hose      3  heating cable      3   a ,  3   b  leads      4  first end section      5  second end section      6  electrical connector female      7  protective sheath      8  straight connector      9  angled connector      10  locking ring      11  corrugated hose      12  intermediate piece      13  branching piece      14  corrugated hose      15  sealing element      16  connector on the electrical connector      17  hose connector to pump      18  electrical connector male      19  collar      20  cabling      21  protective sheath      22  groove      23  opening