Abstract:
An electrical conductor is provided that includes at least one strip of conductive material defining a length and having a first end with a first cutout and a second end having a second cutout. The cutouts engage electrical terminals. The at least two deflections are orthogonal to the length of the strip. The deflections are located between the first cutout and the second cutout and are in plane or out of plane of the cutouts. The electrical conductor is particularly well suited for interconnection of batteries associated with a vehicle power system.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation application of and claims priority benefit to U.S. Non-provisional application Ser. No. 12/943,560 filed Nov. 10, 2010; now U.S. Pat. No. 8,952,565 issued Feb. 10, 2015; the contents of which are hereby incorporated by record. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention in general relates to an electrical conductor and in particular to an electrical conductor having multiple deflections. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The principal role of an electrical conductor is to provide electrical communication between conductor terminals. Electrical conductors that communicate large amperages require larger cross-sectional areas that make the resultant electrical conductor less flexible. When a thick gauge electrical connector is subjected to vibration, the terminal contacts created by the connector are degraded thereby lowering conductivity through the system and leading to premature failure of terminal contacts. These problems are particularly pronounced when the electrical connector is associated with a vehicle or other highly vibratory uses. Conventional electrical connectors have taken the form of either metallic bars or wires. Neither of these has been wholly satisfactory on the basis that the latter while providing high transmission current densities is also inflexible and tends to suffer more rapid vibration induced terminal connector failure while the latter has opposite attributes relative to a strip electrical connector. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An electrical conductor is provided that includes at least one strip of conductive material defining a length and having a first end with a first cutout and a second end having a second cutout. The cutouts engage electrical terminals. Multiple strips are optionally used to form a stack and are bent to include at least two deflections orthogonal to the length of the strip with the deflections being in the same direction and separated by a trough. The deflections are readily provided within the plane defined by the cutouts or extend above the plane. The deflections are located between the first cutout and the second cutout. An electrical conductor is also provided that includes at least three arms with cutouts or other forms for engaging electrical terminals. The multiple arm embodiment includes at least two deflections on a single arm. The electrical conductor is particularly well suited for interconnection of batteries associated with a vehicle power system. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an inventive dual end deflection containing electrical conductor; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an inventive multiple terminal deflection containing electrical conductor; and 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an inventive planar dual end deflection containing electrical conductor. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention has utility as an electrical conductor. An inventive conductor is particularly well suited to operate in an environment associated with an electric or hybrid vehicle. Particularly beneficial features of an inventive conductor include multiple vibration damping deflections orthogonal to the conductor length. While it is appreciated that the inclusion of at least two deflections orthogonal to the length of a conductor or conductor segment increases the height profile of the conductor, the ability of an inventive conductor to damp vibrations and thereby prolong electrical performance has been found to be a worthwhile tradeoff in spite of the convention that minimal profile electrical conductors are desirous in the confined volumes of electric or hybrid vehicle power systems. It is appreciated that the deflections are readily provided in plane while orthogonal to a conductor length as measured in the direction between cutouts. Preferably, an inventive electrical conductor is formed of layers of sheet material that are bonded together with layers of lower melting temperature material and subsequently deformed from a planar laminar form into an inventive electrical conductor with at least two deflections along the linear portion. 
     An inventive electrical conductor is shown generally at  10  in  FIG. 1 . The conductor  10  has ends  16 A and  16 B. The ends  16 A and  16 B are each adapted to engage an extrinsic electrical terminal T to provide an electrical conduction path therebetween. It is appreciated that an end  16 A or  16 B is amenable to functioning as an electrical contact with an electrical terminal T through a clamp that engages the thickness of the conductor  10  proximal to the end  16 A or  16 B. Alternatively, an end portion  16 A or  16 B has a hole  14  or a notch  18  through the thickness of the conductor  10  that is adapted to engage an electrical terminal T or otherwise form a high surface area electrical contact with the electrical terminal T through insertion of a fastener F or other conventional component to the hole  14  or notch  18  and into electrical communication with the terminal T. It is appreciated that the presence, dimensions, and shape of a hole  14  or notch  18  in one end of an inventive conductor  10  is wholly independent from those present in another end of the conductor  10 . By way of example, a hole is circular, oblong, or of a polygonal cross-sectional shape. As used herein, holes and notches are collectively and synonymously referred to generically as cutouts. The conductive material strip  12  is deformed to include at least two deflections  20  between the end portions  16 A and  16 B and preferably bounded by cutouts. The deflections  20  are formed orthogonal to a long axis of the strip  12  that as shown in  FIG. 1  corresponds to the length of the conductor  10 . According to the present invention, placement of at least two deflections  20  in the same direction relative to the length of a conductor  10  creates a vibrational damping structure within the conductor  10  that enhances operational performance of an inventive conductor relative to an otherwise identical length planar conductor. Optionally, a third, fourth, or fifth additional deflection is added to the vibrational damping structure formed by deflections. Optionally, the trough  22  intermediate between deflections  20  is vertically displaced anywhere between deflection apices  24  defined by height h and an opposing vector −h extending below plane P defined by ends  16 A and  16 B. Preferably, the trough  22  has a minimal value of between 0 and 0.8 h. The height h of a deflection  20  is typically between 2.5 and 5 times the thickness, t. Preferably, a deflection  20  has a height h of between 3 and 4 times the thickness t. While a deflection  20  can assume a variety of shapes illustratively including a sine wave, triangle wave, square wave, and asymmetric forms of any of the aforementioned shapes, preferably a deflection  20  has a shape variant of the aforementioned that has a continuous curvature as sharp angular changes in direction in a conductive metal strip have been shown to compromise the current carrying capacities of a resultant electrical conductor. Preferably, a deflection  20  is a smoothly changing curve approximated by a simple expression such as a sine, Gaussian, or Poisson expression. The deflection  20  has a full width half max that is between 2.5t and 5t, where t denotes the thickness of strip or strips  12 . 
     Deflection  20 A has a height h A  and a full width half max w A  for which the above descriptions with respect to deflection  20  are equally applicable thereto. Preferably, h A  is between 90 and 110 percent of h. w A  is preferably between 90 and 110 percent of w. The spacing between apices  24  and  24 A is denoted as “d” and is typically between 2.5 and 5 times the thickness t. Preferably, d is between 0.7 w and 1.3 w. The surface portions of the strip  12  intermediate between ends  16 A and  16 B are optionally covered with a polymeric electrical insulator  26 . 
     An optional insulator  26  is depicted only on a top surface of the cutaway view and there in partial cutaway view for visual clarity. In usage, a circumferential coating of an insulator  26  is optionally present. Polymeric electrical insulators operative herein illustratively include thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV), poly vinyl chloride (PVC), polytetrafluoroethylene, silicone, polyolefin, neoprene, and varnish. An inventive electrical conductor  10  is optionally formed without a sheath surrounding the end portion  16 A and also without a grommet, rivet, or ferrule surrounding a hole  14  or notch  18  formed in end  16 A or  16 B. 
     A strip  12  is chosen on a basis of electrical conductivity properties as well as operational longevity in the environment in which a given inventive electrical conductor  10  is applied. Representative material suitable for the formation of a conductive strip  12  illustratively include copper, aluminum, iron, silver, and alloys thereof; steel; intermetallics; superconductors; pnictides, alloys thereof, and laminate thereof. Copper and copper alloys represent preferred compositions for a strip  12 . More preferably, half hard and spring tempered copper and copper alloys are used to form a strip  12 , and in particular for a conductor  10  operative in a vehicle application. It is appreciated that construction of an electrical conductor  10  according to the present invention is amenable to joinder of multiple metal strips  12  to form a superimposed stack. The details of forming a conductor  10  from a stack of strips  12  are detailed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/569,080 and in particular paragraphs [0011]-[0017] thereof. A typical thickness t of a single strip of a stack of such strips is between 0.25 and 6.8 millimeters. 
     Optionally, a third, fourth, or fifth additional deflection is added to the vibrational damping structure formed by deflections. Optionally, the trough  22  intermediate between deflections  20  is vertically displaced anywhere between deflection apices  24  defined by height h and an opposing vector −h extending below plane P defined by ends  16 A and  16 B. Preferably, the trough  22  has a minimal value of between 0 and 0.8 h. The height h of a deflection  20  is typically between 2.5 and 5 times the thickness, t. Preferably, a deflection  20  has a height h of between 3 and 4 times the thickness t. Deflection  20 A has a height h A  and a full width half max w A  for which the above descriptions with respect to deflection  20  are equally applicable thereto. Preferably, h A  is between 90 and 110 percent of h. w A  is preferably between 90 and 110 percent of w. The spacing between apices  24  and  24 A is denoted as “d” and is typically between 2.5 and 5 times the thickness t. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2  a multi-terminal engaging inventive conductor is shown generally at  30 . The conductor  30  is formed as detailed above with respect to  FIG. 1 . The conductor  30  has ends  32 A and  32 B. Base surfaces define planes P A -P D  with at least two such planes engaging terminals T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , or T 4 . At least one set of deflections  34 - 34 A,  36 - 36 A, and  38 - 38 A are provided between adjacent planes P A -P B , P B -P C , or P C -P D . It is appreciated that planes P A , P B  and P C  need not be parallel with one another. Each of these deflections has the properties ascribed above with respect to deflections  20  and  20 A and include apices, deflection height, and deflection width properties that are also detailed above with respect to such properties in  FIG. 1 . It should be appreciated that each of the other deflections is also characterized by a deflection height and full width half max characterization, as well as a deflection shape, all of which are detailed above with respect to  FIG. 1 . As detailed above with respect to  FIG. 1 , it is appreciated and indeed preferred that a conductor  30  be formed from multiple strips  40  that are superimposed and formed into a unitary structure, as detailed above with respect to  FIG. 1 . A strip  40  and multiple such strips that are combined to form the conductor  30  are readily formed from the materials detailed above with respect to strip  12  of  FIG. 1 . For visual clarity, an insulation layer is not depicted. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the inventive conductor is well suited to absorb stresses associated with terminal misalignment and dynamic bend and twist as experienced by a vehicle battery assembly. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a planar embodiment of an inventive conductor that is shown generally at  60 . Ends  66 A and  66 B each have a hole  68 A and  68 B, respectively, or a notch as shown at  18  in  FIG. 1  for engaging an electrical terminal. Preferably, the holes  68 A and/or  68 B are oblong. The conductor  60  is formed from a single strip  12  or stacks thereof as detailed above. Planar deflections  70  and  70 A are formed orthogonal to L and in the plane or surface defined by face  72 . A similar pair of deflections  74  and  74 A are provided to bound the axis  68 A- 68 B. Deflection pairs  70 - 70 A and  74 - 74 A are separated by troughs  76  and  78 , respectively. 
     Patent documents and publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. These documents and publications are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document or publication was specifically and individually incorporated herein by reference. 
     The foregoing description is illustrative of particular embodiments of the invention, but is not meant to be a limitation upon the practice thereof. The following claims, including all equivalents thereof, are intended to define the scope of the invention.