A CABLE BUNCH CODING DEVICE

Abstract: A device for coding a cable bunch comprising a plurality of conductors of mutually different colours or colour combinations, in which a first electrical connector (6) is provided on one end of the cable bunch and a second electrical connector (7) is connected to the device (8) to which the cable bunch (10) shall be connected, wherein the electrical connectors have a number of connector pins to which the conductors are connected individually, and wherein the electrical connectors when connected together are intended to transmit current or a signal from each of the conductors in the cable bunch to a predetermined connector pin in the second electrical connector. The invention is characterized in that there is provided along the cable bunch (10) a locking device (11) which includes a code unit (12) which is constructed to break and connect one or more conductors incoming from the cable bunch (10) to the code unit (12) to the same number of conductors outgoing from the code unit, so that when connecting the conductors, incoming conductors (1-5) of different respective colours or colour combinations are connected to outgoing conductors (1-5) of other respective colours or colour combinations, thereby to obtain a predetermined mixture of colours or colour combinations of the conductors (1-5) in the cable bunch (10) upstream and downstream of the code unit (12); in that the incoming conductors (1-5) are connected in the first electrical connector (6) to the predetermined correct connector pins with regard to the desired transmission of current or signals to the device (8); and in that the code unit (12) is controlled by an electronic lock (13) which is constructed to cause the code unit (12) to effect the conductor connections when the user opens the electronic lock.

Description: A Cable Bunch Coding Device The present invention relates to a cable bunch coding device. In different models of automotive vehicles, and also in electrical installations and electrical devices of different kinds, cable bunches are found in which the various cables or conductors are identified by different colours or colour combinations. Normally, a conductor or cable of given colour shall be connected to another conductor or cable of the same colour in different types of electrical connectors. One known method of preventing unauthorized use of an automotive vehicle or an electric device iε to provide the cable bunch with a locking device in the form of a key operated switch. One such example is the car igni- tion lock. However, if some unauthorized person forces the lock, it is an easy matter for this person to connect together conductors of mutually the same colours and therewith bypass the lock. The conductors, or cables, are given the same colours in order for the mechanic who installs the system to be ware of how the different conductors in the cable bunch shall be connected-up. This facility, however, makes unauthorized use of the vehicle easier to achieve, simply by bypassing the lock. This problem is solved by means of the present inven¬ tion, which provides an electronic lock which renders unauthorized use of the vehicle, or electrical device, extremely difficult, if not impossible. The present invention thus relates to a device for coding a cable bunch which includes a number of cables, or conductors, of mutually different colours or colour combinations, where a first electrical connector is pre- sent at one end of the cable bunch and a second electri¬ cal connector is connected to the device to which the cable bunch shall be connected, and where the electrical connectors have a number of connector pins to which said conductors are connected individually, said electrical connectors being intended to be connected together for transmission of electric current or an electric signal from one of the conductors in the cable bunch to a predetermined connector pin in the second electrical connector, and is characterized in that there is provid- ed along the cable bunch a locking device which includeε a coding unit which is intended to break and mutually connect one or more conductors incoming to the coding unit with the same number of conductors outgoing from the coding unit so that, when connecting the conductors together, incoming conductors of different respective colours or colour combinations are connected to outgoing conductors of other respective colours or colour combi¬ nations, thereby to obtain a predetermined mixture of colours or colour combinations of the conductorε in the cable bunch upstream and downstream of the coding unit; in that the incoming conductorε are connected in said first electrical connector to the predetermined correct connector pins with respect to the deεired tranεmiεεion of current or εignalε; and in that the coding unit is controlled by an electric lock which functionε to con¬ trol the coding unit in a manner to effect said conduc¬ tor connection when the user opens the electronic lock. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to an exemplifying embodiment thereof and also with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 iε a block schematic of the inventive device. The invention is described in the following with refer¬ ence to an automotive vehicle, although it will be understood that the invention iε not reεtricted to εolely thiε uεe. For inεtance, the invention can alεo be applied with cable buncheε in alarm εyεte ε. Generally speaking, the invention finds application in all elec¬ trical installations where it is desired to eliminate the poεεibility of an unauthorized person bypassing a lock, by connecting together conductors of mutually the εame colour or colour combinationε. Figure 1 illustrates schematically a device for coding a cable bunch 10 which includes a plurality of cables or conductorε 1-5 of mutually different colourε or colour combinations. The device includes a first electric connector 6 provided on one end of the cable bunch, and a second electrical connector 7 connected to the device 8 to which the cable bunch shall be connected, said electrical connectors including a plurality of connector pinε to which the cableε are connected individually. The electrical connectorε 6, 7 are intended to be mutually connected for the purpoεe of conveying current or an electric signal from each of the conductorε in the cable bunch 10 to a predetermined connector pin in the second electrical connector 7. For inεtance, the cable bunch 10 may be a cable bunch which iε inεtalled in a car and connected to a multi- connector of an onboard computer and which may include more than one-hundred conductorε for activating differ¬ ent deviceε and for receiving εignals from different signal emitterε, εenεorε, for inεtance. In the illus- trated case, the device 8 may therefore be the onboard computer of the vehicle, whereas the various conductors at the other end 9 of the cable bunch 10 may be drawn to different εites in the vehicle. In accordance with the invention, there is provided along the cable bunch 10 a locking device 11 which includes a code unit 12 which functions to brake and to connect one or more conductors incoming to the code unit 12 with the same number of conductors outgoing from said code unit so that when connecting the conductorε, inco - ing conductorε of different reεpective colours B, R, G, Y, or colour combinations are connected to outgoing conductors of other respective colours or colour combi¬ nations, thereby to obtain a predetermined mixture of colours or colour combinations of the conductorε in the cable bunch 10 upεtream and downεtrea of the code unit 12. However, the conductorε entering the first electrical connector 6 are connected therein to the predetermined connector pins which are correct with regard to the desired transmission of electrical current or signalε. Thiε iε illuεtrated in Figure 2. The conductorε are identified by reference numeralε 1 to 5 on the left of Figure 2. Theεe conductors shall be connected to respec¬ tive predetermined connector pins 1 to 5 in the first electrical connector 6, so that the correct conductorε will be connected to the correct connector pinε in the εecond electrical connector 7, εo aε to obtain the correct function. Thuε, conductor 1 εhall be connected to connector pin 1 , conductor 2 to connector pin 2 , and εo on. The cable bunch iε conveniently connected to the code unit by meanε of known connector device 14, 15. In the cable bunch upεtream of the code unit, the con¬ ductor 1 iε brown (B) , conductor 2 iε red (R) , conductor 3 iε green (G), conductor 4 is yellow (Y) and conductor 5 iε white (W) . In the cable bunch downstream of the code unit, the order is reversed, however, so that a red conductor is connected to connector pin 4, a green conductor is connected to connector pin 5, a yellow conductor is connected to connector pin 2 and a white conductor is connected to connector pin 3. By way of example, one conductor, the brown conductor, has not been reversed. If the conductors upstream of the code unit are con¬ nected to conductors of the same colour downεtream of the code unit, only the brown conductor upstream of the code unit will be connected to the correct connector pin in the second electrical connector 7. Thus, the red (R) incoming conductor iε connected in the code unit with a yellow (Y) outgoing conductor, the green (G) incoming conductor is connected with a white (W) outgoing conductor, the yellow (Y) incoming conduc¬ tor is connected with a red (R) outgoing conductor, and the white ( ) incoming conductor is connected with a green (G) outgoing conductor. Naturally, all conductors can be shifted, although in the illustrated case, the brown (B) incoming conductor is connected to a similar brown (B) outgoing conductor. The code unit 12 is constructed to connect together the variouε conductorε in the aforesaid manner, and also to break the connection between the incoming and outgoing conductors. According to the preεent invention, the code unit 12 iε controlled by an electronic lock 13, which is intended to control the code unit to connect said conductorε together when the user opens the electronic lock 13, and to break said connectionε when the electronic lock is locked. The electronic lock will conveniently include a proceεsor which is programmed to control the code unit. In those instanceε when the cable bunch iε to transmit stronger currents, the code unit will include, in accor¬ dance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, relays which are controlled by the electronic lock 13. Thuε, as the lock is opened the lock will activate the relays so as to effect predetermined connection of the conductors upεtream and downεtream of the code unit. When weaker currentε or εignalε are to be transmitted, the code unit will include, in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention, a proceεεor which iε controlled by the electronic lock 13. The proceεsor may be of any known kind that has the requisite number of inputs and outputε and iε capable of being activated by the lock in a manner to effect connection of the conductorε electronically. For inεtance, the process may include a number of transiεtor circuits which when conductive operate to effect connection of the conduc- tors. According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the electronic lock 13 includes a keyboard 16 or some other device by meanε of which a code can be manually delivered to the electronic lock 13. The code inεerted through the keyboard is compared with a code stored in the lock 13, and the electronic lock iε conεtructed to activate the code unit in the aforesaid manner to con¬ nect said conductors together when agreement is found between the inεerted code and the stored code. The aforeεaid other code inεertion device may have the form of a card reader 17 provided with a εlot 18 into which the card can be inεerted. The card may be, for instance, of the same kind aε that uεed for paεε-checkε, The code unit is preferably constructed in a manner which renders it difficult to diεmantle the unit, and preferably εo that it iε extremely difficult to ascer- tain which conductors are connected to which conductorε, by εtudying the contentε of the unit. This is imposεible when the unit contentε are comprised of a procesεor, because information concerning the conductors to be mutually connected iε divulged only by the proceεsor software. When the code unit includeε relayε, it may be poεsible to follow the individual conductors, although very difficult to achieve in practice. In order to make this more difficult, all conductorε in the code unit may have the same colour. In the aforedescribed example, four of five conductorε have been mixed together. Cable buncheε often contain many more conductorε. In such caεeε, it is sufficient to intermix a few conductors, since the number of conceiv- able conductor combinations is extremely high. Although the invention has been described with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood that the code unit and the electric lock can be given other constructions within the scope of the knowledge of thoεe εkilled in this art while maintaining the function of the code unit and electronic lock. The present invention shall not therefore be considered restricted to the aforedescribed and illustrated embodi- entε thereof, εince modifications can be made within the scope of the following Claims.

Claims: Claims 1. A device for coding a cable bunch comprising a plurality of conductors of mutually different colours or colour combinations, in which a first electrical connec¬ tor (6) is provided on one end of the cable bunch and a εecond electrical connector (7) iε connected to the device (8) to which the cable bunch (10) εhall be con¬ nected, wherein the electrical connectorε have a number of connector pinε to which εaid conductors are connected individually, and wherein the electrical connectors when connected together are intended to transmit current or a signal from each of the conductors in the cable bunch to a predetermined connector pin in the second electrical connector, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that there iε provided along the cable bunch (10) a locking device (11) which includeε a code unit (12) which iε conεtruct- ed to break and connect one or more conductorε incoming from the cable bunch (10) to the code unit (12) to the same number of conductorε outgoing from the code unit, so that when connecting the conductors, incoming conduc¬ tors (1-5) of different respective colours or colour combinations are connected to outgoing conductorε (1-5) of other respective colours or colour combinations, thereby to obtain a predetermined mixture of colours or colour combinations of the conductors (1-5) in the cable bunch (10) upstream and downstream of the code unit (12); in that the incoming conductorε (1-5) are connect¬ ed in the first electrical connector (6) to the prede- termined correct connector pinε with regard to the desired transmiεεion of current or εignalε to the device (8); and in that the code unit (12) is controlled by an electronic lock (13) which iε conεtructed to cauεe the code unit (12) to effect said conductor connections when the user opens the electronic lock. 2. A device according to Claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that when stronger currents are to be transmitted, the code unit (12) includeε relays which are controlled by the electronic lock (13). 3. A device according to Claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that when weaker currents or signals are to be transmitted, the code unit (12) includes a procesεor which iε controlled by the electronic lock (13). 4. A device according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that the electronic lock (13) includeε a keyboard (16) or some other device (17) by meanε of which a code can be delivered to the electronic lock (13), said code being compared with a code stored in the lock; and in that the electronic lock iε con¬ structed to control the code unit (12) in the aforesaid manner when agreement is found between the inserted code and the stored code. 5. A device according to Claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, c h a r ¬ a c t e r i z e d in that conductorε preεent in the code unit (12) have the εame colour.

Inventors: NYFELT LEIF, NYFELT, LEIF
Applicants: NYFELT LEIF, SCARINUS DEV AB, SCARINUS DEVELOPMENT AB
Application year: 1993
Main classification: H01H27
IPC codes: B60R16, H01H27, H01R13, H01R29